Air pollution keeps Lahore ranked first on the Air Quality Index in the world as the AQI reading of the city soared to 581 on Wednesday, ARY News reported. Indiaís capital city New Delhi ranked second with 253 AQI reading. Smog also engulfed several other cities of Punjab along with Lahore. In Punjab industrial city of Faisalabad ranked first with smog levels as high as 761 on the air quality list, Lahore remained second highest in the province with 581 air pollution and Multan ranked third with 460 AQI reading. 

Air pollution and smog haunting Punjab with the onset of the winter. Authorities last year made desperate efforts to contain smog in cities. The province grappled with severe air pollution, which soared to alarming levels, causing serious public health issues. For days, Lahore was enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants, caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning as temperatures drop with cooling air. 

Air pollution level in Lahore once soared to more than 80 times of the level deemed hygienic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The government closed schools and restricted timing of eateries, other businesses and markets in its desperate efforts to save general public from the adverse impact of toxic pollution and health problems.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)