ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cultural heartland and the largest city of its most populous Punjab province, Lahore, was blanketed by dense, toxic smog on Saturday as its Air Quality Index (AQI) surged to 439, placing it among the world’s most polluted cities, according to global monitoring platform IQAir.
The reading kept Lahore in second place globally, just behind New Delhi, highlighting the severity of the region’s annual winter pollution cycle.
Other major cities in Punjab also reported dangerous levels of particulate matter, with Gujranwala hitting 808 and Faisalabad recording 507, far above levels considered hazardous to human health.
Doctors and environmental specialists warn that prolonged exposure to such high pollution levels can trigger severe respiratory illnesses, aggravated asthma, eye and throat irritation, and long-term cardiovascular risks.
Hospitals across Punjab have already reported an influx of patients suffering from breathing difficulties and pollution-related complications.
Authorities have urged residents to limit outdoor movement, wear protective masks, and keep windows shut as toxic haze continues to thicken across the region.
The recurring crisis is driven by a mix of vehicle and industrial emissions, large-scale crop residue burning in both Pakistani and Indian Punjab, and winter weather patterns that trap pollutants near the ground.
Waste burning, dust from construction, and thinning tree cover further compound the problem, turning the smog into a near-annual public health emergency.
The Punjab government has rolled out short-term responses — including school closures followed by changing the schools’ timing, anti-smog guns, and public advisories — while longer-term initiatives such as AI-based monitoring systems, “super seeder” farming equipment, and the Punjab Green Development Program aim to address root causes.
