LAHORE: Severe pollution continues to engulf Lahore, driving air quality to hazardous levels and ranking it as the world’s second most polluted city.
Delhi had the highest air quality index (AQI) in the world at 1,226 in the early hours of Monday, while the worldwide average hit a dangerous 490 in the same period.
At noon, the city of 13.5 million people has very bad air quality, with an AQI of 220. This is mostly because of high amounts of PM2.5. It’s 28.9 times higher than the WHO’s annual air quality limit, with 144.7 µg/m³ of pollutants in the air.
Pakistan’s Most Polluted Cities Ranked by Air Quality
| Rank | City | AQI |
| 1 | Lahore, Punjab | 307 |
| 2 | Multan, Punjab | 232 |
| 3 | Karachi, Sindh | 192 |
| 4 | Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 175 |
| 5 | Rawalpindi, Punjab | 167 |
| 6 | Islamabad, Islamabad | 153 |
| 7 | Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 120 |
| 8 | Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 75 |
AQI Crosses 300 as Pollution Crisis Deepens
Even though levels of harmful pollutants decreased marginally, the air quality did not improve enough to be reclassified as less harmful. The air quality index (AQI) continued to threaten the health of locals as it soared beyond 300 once again.
However, air pollution is still a problem in the country’s capital, which ranks seventh worst in the world. The region is experiencing serious risks caused by the extensive pollution, which has limited visibility and led to the temporary closure of multiple key roads.
