LAHORE: Lahore once again emerged as the world’s most polluted major city on Friday morning as deteriorating air quality pushed pollution levels into the unhealthy range.
According to IQAir’s live global ranking, Lahore’s AQI stood at 167 earlier in the morning, putting it ahead of Dhaka, which recorded 164, and Cairo at 158. The Punjab authorities, however, reported a considerably higher AQI of 236, attributing the buildup of pollutants to light winds and cooler temperatures.
Officials said winds were blowing from the southeast at around 5 to 6 kilometres per hour between 8am and noon. Wind speeds were forecast to increase to 8 to 10 kilometres per hour between 1pm and 2pm, which could help disperse pollutants and bring some improvement in air quality.
Data from the Punjab Environment Protection Agency’s real-time monitoring system showed the AQI on Multan Road had reached a hazardous 500 at 6am.
Other monitored locations also recorded high pollution levels, with the AQI standing at 345 at Punjab University, 292 in Shahdara and 227 in Gulberg III at the same time.
By 8am, however, pollution levels had shifted across the city. Punjab University recorded the highest AQI at 385, while the reading on Multan Road fell sharply to 91.
IQAir updates its global pollution rankings every hour, so Lahore’s position and AQI can fluctuate throughout the day as weather and atmospheric conditions change.
