LAHORE –Lahore is still amongst the most polluted cities on the globe despite considerable improvement in air quality.
Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped from the hazardous category due to scattered rains in parts of Punjab and westerly winds that helped wash away hazardous pollutants from the atmosphere.
Lahore and other cities saw sunshine on Sunday after quite some time due to a reduction in smog intensity.
But AQI of Lahore is still in the unhealthy category which makes it the second most polluted city in the world.
Per the experts, rains, though light, helped wash away pollutants from the atmosphere and helped reduce the smog intensity. In addition, they say, westerly winds played a part in improving air quality by stirring the stable atmospheric conditions.
The lack of rain and stable atmospheric conditions caused the gradual accumulation of pollutants emitted from stationary and moving sources. With time, the air quality worsened leading to the closure of educational institutions and restrictions on businesses to save citizens from smog-related hazards.
Per the data collected from the IQ Air website on Sunday evening, Lahore ranked second in the list of most polluted cities on the globe with an AQI of 184 (unhealthy).
India’s Delhi leads the list with an AQI of 754 (hazardous). Dhaka (Bangladesh) ranked third with an AQI of 181 (unhealthy), followed by Mumbai (India) with an AQI of 173.
Kolkata (India) and Sarajevo (Bosnia Herzegovina) ranked in fifth and sixth place with an AQI of 159.
Hanoi (Vietnam) ranked seventh with an AQI of 158 (unhealthy), followed by Bishkek with an AQI of 156 (unhealthy) while the AQI of Zagreb (Croatia) and Jakarta (Indonesia) was recorded at 151 (unhealthy).
Islamabad, Pakistan weather update; rains, westerly winds reduce smog intensity
