LAHORE: Lahore and Karachi were ranked among the world’s five most polluted cities on Tuesday, as toxic smog blanketed Pakistan’s urban centres and air quality plunged to dangerous levels, according to Swiss-based monitoring platform IQAir.
Lahore, now the world’s second most polluted city after New Delhi, recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 234, categorised as “very unhealthy”, while Karachi followed with an AQI of 182, placing it in the “unhealthy” range.
Experts attribute the choking air to industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, stubble burning, and cross-border wind patterns that worsen during winter.
In Lahore, concentrations of fine particulate matter PM2.5 — tiny, cancer-causing particles that penetrate the bloodstream — reached 158.8 µg/m³, 31 times higher than World Health Organization limits. Karachi’s levels were also alarmingly high at 100 µg/m³, twenty times above WHO’s annual guideline.
Government Response and Health Warnings
Provincial authorities in Punjab have launched anti-smog guns and water-sprinkling drives in Lahore’s most affected areas, including Multan Road, Ravi Bridge, and Shahdara Flyover. Police said they have arrested 83 people and filed 77 cases for contributing to pollution through illegal burning and industrial emissions.
IQAir advised residents to avoid outdoor activity, use air purifiers, and keep windows closed to reduce exposure.
Health officials warned of rising cases of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses. According to WHO representative Dr Dapeng Luo, air pollution kills around 256,000 Pakistanis every year, making it one of the country’s most severe public health crises.
