LAHORE: The capital of Punjab was listed as the most polluted city in the entire world with terrible air quality for the third straight day On Wednesday.

The AQI US was 279 at 9am, when the worst air quality was recorded, according to iqair.com, a website that tracks global air quality.

Individual areas of Lahore fared worse, with Lahore American School 289, CERP office 275, Block K 242, Phase 8 DHA 236, US Consulate in Lahore 235, Chatta Park 226, Syed Maratib Ali Road 225, Block B1 211, Dawn Bread Kot Lakhpat 211, and Venus Housing Society Main Blvd 211.

In the AQI ranking of world cities, Lahore was followed by Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Kolkata, India.

On Oct 10, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority declared Lahore a calamity-hit city due to smog.

According to the notification, there will be a ban on all activities that cause smog across the province. Special teams will be formed to control smog, and a crisis room will be established in the PDMA office. Industries that emit black smoke will be closed, and schools will be bound to buy buses to reduce emissions.

Deputy commissioners will take steps to control smog in their areas. Setting crop residue on fire is prohibited. Deputy commissioners concerned will be held responsible for stubble burning and vehicles and industries that pollute the environment will also be dealt with sternly.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2022