Pakistan second largest city, Lahore, has once again topped the list of most polluted cities in the world. The air quality of the metropolis was over 350, according to IQAir, a global environmental think-tank. Residents choking in acrid smog pleaded with officials to take action. Air pollution has worsened in Pakistan in recent years, as a mixture of low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal crop burn off, and colder winter temperatures coalesce into stagnant clouds of smog.

Health experts have urged people to take precautionary measures while the Lahore High Court (LHC) has expressed its displeasure with provincial government inability to control the environmental crisis. Last week, Justice Shahid remarked that situation is getting worse by every passing day and hinted at closing schools for at least three days a week. However, in recent years residents have built their own air purifiers and taken out lawsuits against government officials in desperate bids to clean the air.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP