Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) ranking on Sunday showed a slight improvement as it dropped out of the “hazardous” category for the first time in 12 days, the index showed.

The Punjab government has declared an emergency in Lahore and Multan, where a “complete lockdown” will be imposed from Fridays to Sundays due to the intensity of smog.

Dense smog not only causes respiratory health issues but also increases the risk of road accidents due to reduced visibility.

Caused by toxic pollutants, smog has engulfed several cities in Punjab over the past few weeks, with Lahore and Multan being the worst hit. The AQI reading in Multan has already crossed 2,000 twice, setting a new record for air pollution.

Earlier this week, the provincial capital ranked as the most polluted city globally with AQI exceeding 1,000, as the government worked to address the ongoing smog “calamity”.

According to the index today, Lahore has experienced “hazardous” air quality since November 5.

However, the index reported that the quality of air in the city fell below 200, categorised as “unhealthy” in the index.

In recent weeks, the provincial government has barred the public from entering public parks, zoos, playgrounds, and museums while the schools across the province have been shut until November 17 (today) to reduce public exposure to smog.

United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative in Pakistan had called for urgent and greater efforts to reduce air pollution earlier this week, noting that over 11 million children under five years of age were exposed to smog in the worst affected districts of Punjab.

Indian capital Delhi, another city smothered in smog, topped the charts as the most polluted city in the world with an AQI of 637, overtaking Lahore, ranked as the second worst, with an AQI of 188.