PESHAWAR: Rain and hailstorms hit parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, offering some relief by reducing the intensity of the smog in the province.
The hailstorm struck Swabi district around 10:30 PM, cooling the weather.
The Malakand Division also experienced hail and rain, bringing a drop in temperature. Swat, Malakand, Buner, Chitral, and other areas of the division were heavily affected by the hailstorm, with the weather turning cold.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had predicted rain, snowfall in verious parts of the country.
According to PMD, the upper districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra, Battagram, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swabi, Malakand, Bajaur, Mardan, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, Peshawar, and Kohat, will experience cloudy conditions with rain and thunderstorms. Snowfall is also expected in the higher mountainous areas.
Earlier today, the air quality in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reached alarming levels.
According to a report byIQAir, which tracks real-time air quality data worldwide, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Peshawar hit 551 at 10:30am, making it the third most polluted city in Pakistan.
At the same time, the concentration of PM2.5 pollutants—fine particulate matter that poses significant health risks—was recorded at 351 micrograms per cubic meter in Peshawar, which is over 70 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.
Air pollution levels in various areas of the city reached as high as 784. The AQI was recorded as 784 in Yousufabad, 667 in Hayatabad, and 509 in Dalazak. Similarly, the AQI at GT Road stood at 320, while the US Consulate in the city recorded 332.
