Again, Lahore declared most polluted city globally

Lahore: Provincial capital Lahore has been declared the most polluted city globally again after the city recorded its highest ever smog levels as the Air Quality Index (AQI) went above 360.

The Air Quality Index data was released on Sunday and put Lahore on the list of the most polluted cities in the world while Karachi came in seventh.

Despite the complete closure of educational institutions, offices and markets in the city, air pollution has not decreased while the situation in many other cities of Punjab is also bad.

Citizens in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Muridke, Raiwind, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and Multan are facing difficulties due to air pollution.

On the other hand, PM2.5 concentration in Lahore air is currently 62.9 times above the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

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.

Lahore, a bustling megacity of more than 11 million people in Punjab province near the border with India, consistently ranks among the worst cities in the world for air pollution.

In recent years residents have built their own air purifiers and taken out lawsuits against government officials in desperate bids to clean the air -- but authorities have been slow to act.