Lahore Ranks as Most Polluted City as Smog Season Approaches, Air Quality Declines
Lahore, often regarded as Pakistan’s cultural capital, has been ranked the most polluted city in the world by Swiss-based air-quality monitoring firm IQAir. On October 3, the city’s air quality index (AQI) soared to an alarming 215, a significant increase from 175 just a few days prior on September 30. Currently, it ranks second with an AQI of 161, as Lahore prepares for its notorious smog season, which typically worsens in the upcoming months.
The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air was found to be 25.2 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended guidelines, categorizing Lahore’s air as “very unhealthy.”
In contrast, other Pakistani cities like Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Abbottabad, and Karachi are reporting moderate air quality levels.
