LAHORE: Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan, has been declared the most polluted city in the world, with an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 531 on Thursday.
According to a report by IQAir, which tracks real-time data of air quality worldwide, the air quality index (AQI) in Indian city Delhi reached 372 at 10am morning, making it the second most polluted city globally.
At the same time, the Lahore concentration of PM2.5 pollutants—fine particulate matter that poses significant health risks—were recorded at 341 micrograms per cubic meter in Lahore, which is over 68 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.
Multan is the most polluted city with an AQI of 226 ranked the second most polluted city in the country followed by Karachi with an AQI of 214 and then Peshawar with an AQI of 193.
World’s most polluted cities
An AQI below 50 is considered good ‘moderate’ between ’51 and 100′, ‘unhealthy for sensitive group’ at ‘101 and 150’, ‘unhealthy’ at ‘151-200’, very unhealthy at 201-300, 301 and above is ‘hazardous’.
According to this year’s Life Quality Index Institute report, compiled by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, the people of Lahore have had their lives shortened by 7.5 years due to the poor air they breathe.
To control the smog crisis, the Punjab government closed public places including parks, zoos, playgrounds, joy/play lands, historical places, monuments, and museums in smog-hit districts including Lahore.
Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has described smog as a serious threat and said that it is likely to cause 250,000 premature deaths.
It should be noted that the situation of smog in the capitals of Punjab, Lahore, and Multan, is particularly disturbing. The provincial capital has been the most polluted city in the world for many days.
