Smog once again blanketed Lahore on Tuesday morning, reducing visibility across major arteries.

According to real-time data from the Swiss air-quality monitor, IQAir, the city’s air quality index (AQI) was around 360 in the morning, placing the city’s air in the “hazardous” category.

While the haze continued to coat the skyline from the Babu Sabu interchange to neighbourhood parks and highways, this figure represented a modest improvement compared with earlier peaks this smog season and late October.

At that time, AQI readings surged into the 400–500+ range, forcing the city to top global pollution rankings.

Residents cautiously stepped outdoors amid persistent hazardous air.

But the relative reduction from those extreme highs offered some limited relief.

Health experts warn that even at these lower levels, the air remains far from safe.

Doctors say that prolonged exposure can aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

Respiratory diseases can particularly affect children, the elderly and people with pre-existing illnesses.

Header image: A bus crawling through the smoggy streets, its headlights blaring through the thick, grey haze as commuters struggled to see beyond the toxic fog in Lahore. — Murtaza Ali/ White Star