NATIONAL NEWS
LAHORE: Several major cities across Punjab remained under a suffocating layer of smog on Saturday, as air quality reached hazardous levels, turning Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Kasur into some of the most polluted cities in the world.
According to the latest figures from Swiss air quality monitoring agency IQAir, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Dera Ghazi Khan and Kasur hit the maximum reading of 500 at around 9 a.m., surpassing Lahore — which has long been considered Pakistan’s pollution capital.
During the morning hours, Lahore recorded an AQI of 385, followed by Sheikhupura at 313 and Gujranwala at 243. Later in the day, the readings climbed even higher, with IQAir’s global data showing Gujranwala at 442, Lahore at 400, and Faisalabad at 337.
Within Lahore, pollution levels varied sharply by area. Monitoring stations detected extreme concentrations of smog, with AQI readings surpassing 1,000 near the Civil Secretariat, 997 near Wildlife Parks, and 820 around the Forest Department. Official data from the Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) confirmed hazardous levels — 500 along Shahdara, Multan Road, and GT Road, and above 350 in several other localities.
Environmental experts blamed the worsening air quality on a combination of easterly winds carrying pollutants from India, falling temperatures, low wind speeds (1–4 km/h), and lack of rainfall, which together have trapped toxic particles near the ground. The EPD noted that conditions might slightly improve later in the day as winds strengthen.
Maryam Shah, an environmental expert with the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, said that while air quality earlier in 2025 showed brief improvement, October’s PM2.5 levels were nearly identical to last year’s, adding that “November could see another intense smog episode if current trends continue.”
Under directions from Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government has initiated a province-wide anti-smog drive, including stricter traffic checks, industrial inspections, and road sprinkling operations to curb dust. Authorities have also increased real-time monitoring of PM2.5 and PM10 through updated air quality stations.
Environmentalists, however, caution that short-term measures will not be enough. Without consistent enforcement and regional collaboration on pollution control, they warn, Punjab’s residents may continue to breathe dangerously toxic air well into the winter months.
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