Pakistan’s Air Quality Index ( AQI ) soared to unprecedented levels, sparking alarm across Punjab province as smog engulfed Lahore and Multan. According to Swiss air quality track IQAir, Lahore’s AQI rose to 760, while Multan reached a remarkable 1, 914, making it one of the most polluted cities worldwide.
Authorities have had to work hard to control the dust due to the extreme waste, but only a few reports have been successful.
Lahore, under a heavy blanket of dust for weeks, has witnessed common path closures due to low visibility, leading to numerous injuries. Nine people were hurt when a vehicle collided with a stable truck on GT Road, leaving the motorist unable to see the parked car through the dense fog.
Due to the dust, the Lahore High Court has also been forced to sanction a Sunday shut down of all business activities and a shutdown of all Sunday markets in an effort to reduce pollution-inducing activity.
In Multan, problems reached what authorities called “apocalyptic” degrees, with the AQI exceeding 2, 000 on Friday night. The WHO ( WHO ) recommended a high of 947 micrograms per cubic meter for the dangerous particulate matter known to cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular problems, nearly 190 times higher than the recommended level. Above five grams per square meter in accordance with the WHO’s recommended PM2.5 rates.
In response, the state government is on higher alert, implementing emergency steps to curb pollution levels. Up until at least November 17, open parks and museums in big cities were shut down.
Despite the severe weather value, authorities have also been accused of failing to enact preventive anti-smog laws, with residents frequently seen without masks.
Multan, the largest city in southern Punjab, recorded an extremely dangerous Air Quality Index ( AQI ) of 2, 135 between 8am and 9am on Friday, according to data from IQAir, as reported by Dawn. Afterwards in the day, the AQI observations remained deadly, reaching 980 by 10 pm—more than three times above the “hazardous” level of 300. Some monitors across Multan, including those at the WWF-Pakistan Office, Shamsabad Colony, and Multan Cantonment, showed AQI rates as high as 2, 316, 1, 635, and 1, 527 both.
Authorities in Pakistan claim that cross-border winds from neighboring India are to blame for the worsening heat value in Lahore and that this has caused dust levels to reach “dangerous” ends.
