Lahore remains the most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality, global monitor IQAir said on Wednesday.
A day ago, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a severe peak of 422, but today it fell to 341 (still classified as “hazardous”), keeping it at the top of the list of cities with the worst air quality.
Behind the Punjab capital in the rankings were New Delhi with an AQI score of 232, Beijing with 222, Kinshasa and Kathmandu with 155 each, and Karachi with 140.
The Punjab government has taken notice of the situation and raised a high alert, including revising school timetables across the province to start at 8:35 a.m.
In response to the crisis, Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) also launched a large-scale anti-smog operation, deploying 16 mechanical washers, 50 regular washers and 400 workers for road washing and water spraying.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in a statement lauded the efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in handling anti-smog operations, terming her hard work as “a testimony to the success of the vision of improving the environment”.
“In the coming years, Punjab will see improvements like Beijing,” he said.
He added that the improvements and measures taken to reduce smog had contributed to changing the mindset of farmers.
According to a report by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), the score for environmental violations this year was 294.
“Measures are being taken against plants that pollute the air,” said the minister.
