LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb says that a grand inter-departmental operation against smog and air pollution is underway across the province.

“Nine departments of the Punjab government, including the Environment Protection Department, traffic police, Wasa, LDA, PHA, C&W, and agriculture department, have been fully mobilised to implement anti-smog measures,” she said in a statement on Sunday.

Ms Aurangzeb added that the government’s consistent efforts, coupled with public cooperation, had helped bring Lahore’s air quality index (AQI) under control.

“The Punjab government’s approach and timely forecasting have ensured that the AQI remained within predicted levels.”

She remarked that the Environment Protection Force and sectoral squads were actively working in the field while drone surveillance of brick kilns was going on, providing live monitoring reports. Smog guns and air quality monitors were also being deployed across hotspots to contain pollution, she added.

Lahore is still among the most polluted cities of the world

“For the first time in Punjab’s history, timely operations guided by AQI forecasting, modern technology, anti-smog machinery and effective inter-departmental coordination have helped maintain air quality at a controlled level,” Ms Aurangzeb claimed.

The provincial climate data centre, she said, had identified high-risk pollution zones in advance, enabling timely deployment of smog guns in affected areas. Construction sites were directed to ensure proper coverage of materials, while the traffic police imposed restrictions on the movement of heavy trucks and cargo vehicles.

According to Dawn.com, Lahore was ranked the second most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality on Sunday based on the data of the air quality monitoring platform, IQAir.

The AQI is a measure of the concentration of various pollutants in the air, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3). Any IQAir AQI ranking above 150 is considered unhealthy and above 200 is considered very unhealthy.

The AQI reading for Lahore stood at a very unhealthy 189; it was just beaten by Delhi, which registered a reading of 212 around 7:30pm.

Additionally, levels of the pollutant PM2.5 were measured at 109 microgrammes per cubic metre of air (g/m³), 21.8 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s annual PM2.5 guidelines.

PM2.5 particles are floating particulate matter in the air measuring 2.5 micrometres in diameter or less, according to IQAir. PM2.5 is so small that it can be absorbed into the bloodstream upon inhalation.

IQAir on its website recommends that residents in Lahore avoid outdoor exercise, run air purifiers and prioritise wearing masks. It also recommended closing all windows to avoid dirty air from outdoors.

Lahore has historically faced smog and poor air quality in the winter months.

Around this time last year, the air quality in Lahore was recorded at 394 amid the smog crisis, primarily fuelled by crop residue burning and industrial emissions. The smog caused widespread health issues among residents, including coughing, breathing difficulties, eye irritation and skin infections.

To combat smog this year, the Punjab government has introduced ‘smog guns’, with Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stating that they were already in use across Lahore.

“Through this modern machine, tiny droplets of water are sprayed into the air to combat smog,” she explained.

“The water mist helps clean pollution and dust particles present in the atmosphere. This modern machinery is also being used in countries like China, India, and others to reduce smog,” she said.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2025