LAHORE: Sections of the motorway were once again brought to a standstill on Tuesday morning as heavy fog enveloped extensive areas of Punjab and Upper Sindh.
Motorway M-2 (Lahore to Hiran Minar), M-4(Sher Shah to Faisalabad), and M-5 (Sher Shah to Rohri) were temporarily closed due to significantly reduced visibility, posing a serious risk to motorists.
Motorway Police responded to the challenging conditions by issuing advisories, urging the public to avoid unnecessary travel, maintain cautious speeds, and use fog lights when necessary.
Despite a marginal improvement in air quality in Lahore and other cities, Lahore emerged as the second most polluted city in Pakistan, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 225, trailing only Peshawar with an AQI of 320.
Internationally, Lahore ranked fourth among the world’s most polluted cities, following New Delhi, Dhaka, and Sarajevo in Bosnia Herzegovina. Notably, AQI levels reached 432 over the US consulate, 395 over FAST University, 346 over Brevzon, 297 over The Mall, and 282 over Phase-8, DHA.
As temperatures continued to drop, Lahore recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 21 degrees Celsius. Morning humidity levels were measured at 81 percent. Despite the challenging conditions, the Meteorological Office forecasted dry weather for the city in the next 24 hours.
