On the streets of Pakistan’s second biggest city, smog stings eyes and burns throats. Inside homes, few people can afford air purifiers to limit the damage of toxic particles that seep through doors and windows.
Punjab’s capital Lahore has slid to the second spot on the global pollution charts as New Delhi topped the rankings becoming the world’s most polluted city in terms of air quality on Wednesday as the neighbouring regions continue to choke on toxic smog.
The air quality index (AQI) in the two cities was 393 and 721, respectively, around 8am, according to Swiss group IQAir’s live ratings.
Lahore — a city of 14 million people stuffed with factories on the border with India — regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, but it has hit record levels this month, prompting authorities to take extraordinary measures to curb smog.
Not only Lahore, but other districts including Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala have also witnessed intense air pollution, leading to the complete closure of schools and ban on all outdoor activities till November 17.
The orders for school closure were later extended to five more districts of Punjab, including DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi Divisions, in a bid to lower children’s exposure to pollution, especially during the morning commute when it is often at its highest.
According to the provincial Environmental Protection Agency, the decision was made due to an “unprecedented rise in patients with lung and respiratory diseases, allergies, eye and throat irritation, and pink eye” across the province.
Meanwhile, Multan — home to several million people some 350 kilometres away from Lahore — remains the city worst-hit by smog, where the AQI passed 2,000 last week, a staggering height never seen before by incredulous residents.
According to the AQI scale, an index value of 300 or higher results is “hazardous” to health and Pakistan has regularly tipped over 1,000 on the scale.
A score of 0-50 is considered good.
The southern city’s AQI was recorded at 396 this morning.
