A thick layer of haze hovered over Lahore on Saturday morning, and its Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at a 'Hazardous' level of above 384, as the city continues to top the list of world's most polluted cities for the past few days, says in media reports. According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitor, Lahore had the highest level of pollution in its air in the world on Saturday also, which was categorised as ‘Hazardous’ with its air quality index measured at 384 in the morning. The PM2.5 (particulate matter) concentration in the capital city of Punjab was recorded at 66.8 times higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline value. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. The term is employed to characterize the levels of particles in both outdoor and indoor environments.

 Within Lahore, the most polluted areas were found to be The Mall road area with the highest AQI of 472, followed by the US consulate in Lahore and the Polo Ground in Cantt. The air quality of Lahore has consistently remained unhealthy, not just over the past couple of months, but also in the last few years with the onset of the ‘fifth season’ of smog. The air quality levels continue to dip after September until at least February. According to the IQAir data, the second most polluted city in the world was New Delhi, India, with an air quality index of 198 ('Unhealthy'). The third most polluted city in the world on Saturday morning was Wuhan in China with an air quality index of 192, categorized as ‘Unhealthy’.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)