Lahore becomes world’s 2nd most polluted city as smog crisis deepens

LAHORE:Lahore is grappling with a rapidly worsening public health crisis as its air quality has catastrophically collapsed, confirming its status among the world’s most polluted cities. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) has surged to 266, pushing the city’s air far past safety thresholds and firmly into the “extremely hazardous” zone.

Monitoring data confirms the extreme danger across the city: readings recorded a critical 414 at Askari 10, peaked at 424 on Syed Maratab Ali Road, and hit 328 in DHA.

The critically high concentration of airborne contaminants now poses a lethal public health risk, considered hazardous even for the general populace and potentially fatal for those most susceptible.

The local crisis is significantly worsened by substantial emissions stemming from outdated vehicle fleets and industrial facilities. The air’s poisonous content is currently held in a deadly vise near the surface, due to stable, unyielding atmospheric conditions that completely obstruct the natural clearing and dispersal of pollutants.

The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) categorizes pollution levels exceeding 300 AQI as an outright life-threatening danger. This catastrophic exposure immediately initiates severe respiratory failure and critical cardiovascular strain, posing an extreme, undeniable threat to children, the elderly, and anyone suffering from chronic heart/lung conditions.

Medical authorities are, consequently, issuing dire warnings of a major, anticipated flood of cases involving asthma, COPD, and various cardiac emergencies.

In a crucial, immediate response, the Punjab government has triggered its Emergency Action Plan. This initiative mandates the full mobilization of all government resources, the deployment of anti-smog guns in danger areas, and the launch of a forceful citywide crackdown on vehicles lacking emissions clearance.

In a move to protect the public, the Smog Monitoring and Control Centre has issued strict, binding mandates: citizens are required to drastically limit all time spent outdoors, wear certified protective masks (N95), immediately halt all strenuous physical activity outside, and ensure indoor air purifiers are in operation.

Given the meteorological forecast for persistent stable, cool air, the smog is projected to intensify dramatically, emphasizing the critical need for urgent, comprehensive policy interventions to contain this unfolding disaster.