- The Punjab capital tops the pollution rankings compiled by the Swiss air quality monitoring body.
- The port city’s move into the “very unsanitary” category was short-lived.
- Dhaka ranks second among the most polluted cities in terms of air quality.
Lahore and Karachi were among the three most polluted cities in the world on Friday morning due to their “very unhealthy” air quality, as Pakistan continues to battle smog.
The Punjab capital topped the global pollution rankings compiled by the Swiss air quality monitoring body, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 266 at 9:14 a.m., while the value of Karachi’s AQI was 216, placing it in third place.
While Punjab has been engulfed by toxic smog for more than two months, with Lahore being the worst affected, the air quality in Karachi has deteriorated over time and crossed the threshold considered “very unhealthy” for humans for the first time in a month last week.
As smog persists in various parts of the country amid the ongoing pollution crisis, the air quality in Karachi has deteriorated to “very unhealthy” for the first time in a month.
Today, around 9:20 am, the concentration of toxic pollutants PM2.5 in Karachi’s atmosphere was 27.8 times higher than the value recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, the port city’s move to the ‘very unsanitary’ category was short-lived as its AQI improved to 173 at 10:20 am.
Meanwhile, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, ranks second among the most polluted cities in terms of air quality and New Delhi, India, ranks fourth, with an AQI value of 189, which shows a considerable improvement from the unprecedented rise reported last month.
Every winter, a mix of low-quality fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by seasonal crop burning by farmers, blankets parts of Punjab, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow winds.
As cold weather also sets in in Karachi, the air quality of the metropolis is witnessing a gradual decline. The Met Office has predicted that the night temperature will drop by up to 15 degrees Celsius during the current week.
Breathing toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the WHO warning that strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory illnesses can be triggered by prolonged exposure.