LAHORE: The air quality in Lahore remained in the ” hazardous ” category on Monday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 382.
According to the global website Air Quality Index (IQAir), Lahore AQI has recorded 382, making the city particulate matter (PM2.5) levels over 53.2 times more threatening than the WHO-standard limit.
This marked the worst air quality in the country for the day.
The day before, the AQI in Lahore, the country’s second largest city, was recorded at 1073.
The AQI measures the concentration of various pollutants in the air, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3). An AQI above 125 is considered “unhealthy,” while an AQI above 150 is classified as “very unhealthy.”
The Punjab government has imposed green lockdown to minimize the impact of smog in the city. However, the Lahore city’s air quality reached to alarming high levels for the second consecutive day despite green lockdown being placed in 11 areas of the city.
Apart from Lahore, the intensity of smog has also increased in Multan and its surroundings.
Lahore’s air quality and environmentalist’s guide to citizens
Environmentalists say that citizens should avoid going out in the current atmosphere, children, elderly and sick people should prefer to stay at home.
According to the environmentalist, this atmosphere is harmful for the citizens as well as the animals, birds and plants.