Despite massive improvement, Lahore maintains top spot on air quality index

Lahore maintained its unenviable distinction of the city with the worst air quality in the world after the Air Quality Index (AQI) showed that the air quality in the city was 203.

Karachi and Dhaka made up the top three cities with the worst air quality.

While the prevailing smog in Punjab has subsided a little, the air in the city is still classified as unbreathable and toxic.

All motorways across Punjab have been closed due to reduced visibility, preventing people from getting into deadly road accidents.

The M2 motorway (Lahore to Khanqah Dogran), M3 (Lahore to Abdul Hakim), and M4 (Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad) have been closed for traffic as visibility dropped.

The AQI recorded near Lahore Canal Road was 419 while a maximum of 466 AQI was recorded in the Ghari Shahu area.

The recent AQI of Lahore, showed air quality in the city to be very poor, which can cause breathing, respiratory tract and heart diseases amongst people of all age brackets.

Hence, the provincial cabinet had declared Lahore to be calamity-hit under section 3 of “The Punjab National Calamities (Prevention & Relief), Act 1958”.

Weather forecast

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecasted cold and dry weather for most parts of the country during the next 24 hours.

Foggy conditions are likely to develop over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during night and morning hours.

As continental air had been prevailing over most parts of the country, frost is likely to occur at isolated places in the Potohar region during morning hours.

During the last 24 hours, cold and dry weather prevailed over most parts of the country, while being very cold in Gilgit-Baltistan and north Balochistan during night and morning hours.

The lowest minimum temperatures recorded were Leh -11°C, Skardu -09°C, Ziarat, Astore, Gupis -05°C, Kalam, Kalat, Gilgit, Hunza -04°C and Quetta -03°C.