Lahore is again on top as the most polluted city in the world.

• Lahore recorded the world’s worst air pollution level with an AQI of 611.
• The rise in the Punjab capital’s AQI comes amid an easing of restrictions.
• Multan is the second most polluted city in the country with an AQI of 260.
  

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Lahore returned to the top of the list of the world’s most polluted cities on Thursday as its air quality index (AQI) worsened just days after seeing a slight improvement.

The Punjab capital had slipped to the second spot in the list over the past few days as air pollution in the city had come down amid stringent measures taken by the Punjab government to improve AQI.

On Thursday, the megapolis recorded AQI of 611 at around 10:30 am today, registering the worst air quality in the world while air pollution (PM2.5) was 381, which is 76.2 times higher than the world. is Health Organization (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.

The 600 mark is considered hazardous to human health by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology firm. However, the US Consulate area in Lahore recorded a dangerous AQI of 1055.

Punjab, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 240 million people, has been engulfed in thick smog for nearly two months, reaching alarming AQI levels.

This led the provincial government to implement measures such as lockdowns in the worst-affected areas, including the closure of schools for weeks, restrictions on access to public space, and restrictions on the opening hours of restaurants and markets.

According to data from the Air Quality Monitor, these efforts have helped authorities reduce smog levels somewhat, but the AQI after the provincial government relaxed these restrictions after air quality improved. The level is starting to rise again.

Today, Multan – Pakistan’s second most polluted city – recorded an AQI of 260 which is considered “extremely unhealthy” but is significantly lower than the alarming AQI of 1,571 it touched a few weeks ago.

The concentration of PM2.5 particles was 37 times higher than the level considered healthy for humans.

Meanwhile, Peshawar is the third most polluted city in the country, with an AQI of 259 at around 10 am, and PM2.5 levels 36.8 times the WHO guideline value.

Karachi had the fifth worst air quality in the country, and the seventh worst air quality in the world, with an AQI value of 162 and 14.2 times the concentration of particulate matter.

Every winter, a mixture of low-level fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, compounded by farmers burning seasonal crops, parts of Punjab are trapped by cold temperatures and slow winds.

According to a University of Chicago study, high levels of pollution have already reduced life expectancy by 7.5 years in Lahore, a city of 14 million people.

Breathing in toxic air has devastating health consequences, with the WHO warning that prolonged exposure can lead to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

Similar dangerous conditions have affected India’s capital, New Delhi, where air pollution has increased.

Experts believe that modernizing the car fleet, reviewing farming practices and switching to renewable energies are the keys to controlling the smog that paralyzes millions of Pakistanis and Indians every year.