Lahore has once again been ranked as the most polluted city in the world, as its Air Quality Index on Monday morning was recorded at ‘Unhealthy’ levels.According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitor, Lahore had the highest level of pollution in its air in the world, which was categorized as ‘Unhealthy’ with its air quality index measured at 172 in the morning.

The PM2.5 (particulate matter) concentration in the capital city of Punjab was recorded at 19.3 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.

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 Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an air quality index of 160 (Unhealthy) and the main pollutant being PM2.5. The monitor reported that the concentration of PM2.5 in the Bangladesh capital was 14.4 times more than WHO guideline value.The third most polluted city in the world on Monday morning was Kolkata in India with an air quality index of 158, and categorized as ‘Unhealthy’.

 Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)