Islamabad, Nov 4: Lahore Air Pollution Hits Unprecedented Levels as City Struggles for Clean Air
The average air quality rate in Lahore being reported lesser than the previous day, still the smog level is alarming, and the city has been among the list of the most polluted cities of the world.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) reading recorded 537 as DHA area of the city has been most affected from the air pollution with AQI reading 777.
The provincial government declared on Sunday that Lahore’s primary schools will be closed for a week in order to protect the youngsters from the harmful effects of air pollution.
Residents of Lahore are experiencing severe health issues due to the city’s unprecedented air pollution, including burning eyes, coughing, and trouble breathing.
To prevent the negative effects of the extremely unclean air,
health professionals have encouraged the general people to use masks and glasses.
According to a report by AFP, air pollution in Lahore increased on Saturday by more than 80 times the WHO-recommended threshold.
The level of deadly PM2.5 pollutants — fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — peaked at 1,067, before dropping to around 300 in the morning,
with anything above 10 considered unhealthy by the WHO.
“We have never reached a level of 1,000,” Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore told AFP.
Smog, a mixture of fog and pollution brought on by low-grade motor emissions, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning, and winter cooling, has engulfed Lahore for days.
Anwar predicted that for the following three to four days, the air quality index would stay high.
Because colder, thicker air concentrates emissions from the fuels used to power the city’s automobiles and factories at ground level, smog is more noticeable at the start of winter.
An AQI rating between 201 and 300 is more dangerous, an AQI over 300 has been exceedingly dangerous, and an AQI as high as 151-200 is deemed unhealthy.
