LAHORE: Hazardous smog continued to pester people in Lahore and some other cities in Punjab on Friday.

It remained cloudy throughout the day in the provincial capital and drizzle at some places in the evening appeared to have reduced the intensity of smog to some extent.

According to the Met Office website, the Air Quality Index in Lahore was 199 in the evening. The US Consulate said it was 441 at 6am and 402 at 8am (hazardous).

The Met Office said rain might reduce the level of smog in the next 24 hours. It said a westerly wave is affecting western and upper parts of the country and likely to persist in the northern parts till Saturday morning.

It expected isolated rain-thunderstorm in districts of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, north Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Islamabad in the next 24 hours.

It reported that Pasni received 79mm of rain, Turbat 34, Dalbandin 32, Panjgur 28, Pishin 23, Chaman 22, Gwadar 18, Jiwani 17, Kalat 15, Quetta 14, Mastung 13, Nokkundi, Ziarat 09, Khuzdar 07, Barkhan 01,Dir (upper 41, lower 15), Pattan 38, Malam Jabba, Parachinar 20, Kalam 24, Mirkhani 18, Saidu Sharif, Chitral 12, Balakot 11, Drosh 10, Kakul 6, Cherat 4, Tahktbai, Bannu 3, Peshawar 1, Garhi Dupatta 18, Muzaffarabad 17, Rawalakot 6, 7, Bhakkar 5 and Attock 2mm.

Kalam received 3 inches of snow and Malam Jabba 1 inch.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2019