UPDATE — Lahore’s smog worsened sharply on Monday, with the city’s overall Air Quality Index reaching 530, placing it at the top of the world’s most polluted cities list. This is a new development from the lower readings reported earlier, with several localities recording far higher levels: Iqbal Town reached 902, Paragon City 698, Chaman Park 619 and Barki Road 569.
Air quality monitor IQAir put Lahore’s index at 535 at 8am, with fine particulate matter, PM2.5, at 343 micrograms per cubic metre, far above Pakistan’s permissible limit of 35 micrograms. Gujranwala recorded readings as high as 675, while Faisalabad and Multan were also in the hazardous range. Dry weather, light winds of around 3 kilometres per hour and no expected rain are unlikely to bring relief, officials said.
The Punjab Health Department has advised residents to stay indoors where possible, keep windows and doors closed and wear a face mask outdoors. The Meteorological Department has forecast dry weather with no chance of rain during the next 24 hours, while Lahore’s temperature is expected to range between 17 and 29 degrees Celsius.
Sources: UrduPoint (APP), 24NewsHD, The Thursday Times (IQAir). Written in our own words for information only.