LAHORE: Once a city of gardens, Lahore falls in the grip of smog again and became the most polluted city in the world on Thursday.
The AQI (air quality index) of Lahore climbed to 593 early morning which fell to 525 around 10:30am. However, the AQI reading in some parts of the city rose to an alarming level again – 876 in Lahore Cantt, 840 in Shimla Hill area and 682 in DHA.
According to Swiss IQAir chart, other three worst polluted cities of the world are Indian capital Delhi at second place with 372 AQI, Pakistan’s Karachi at third place with 220 and Indian city Kolkata at fourth with 167.
India and Pakistan battle air pollution every winter as cold, heavy air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from farm fires started illegally in the farming states of Indian Punjab and Haryana.
It may be recalled that education institutions in Pakistan’s Punjab province were reopened after almost two week’s closure due to smog on Wednesday.
The Punjab government issued a notification allowing physical presence of students, with schools opening no earlier than 8:45am. Both students and teachers are required to wear masks.
Outdoor sports and extracurricular activities, however, remain prohibited in schools.
On Nov 6, schools in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan divisions were closed due to smog. On Nov 12, schools in five more divisions of Punjab were closed due to increasing air pollution. A notification was issued ordering closure of schools in Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, and Rawalpindi divisions.
According to notification, the schools in these areas were to remain closed until Nov 17. But the closure was extended as air pollution persisted.
Persistent toxic smog and air pollution in Lahore caused a significant increase in cough and breathing disorders, with hospitals in the city reporting over 5,000 asthma cases last week.
