LAHORE: Lahore ranked as the world’s most polluted city on Friday, with its air quality classified as “hazardous”, according to air quality monitoring platform IQAir.Lahore recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 410 on Friday morning.
The reading later fell under the ‘very unhealthy’ category. India’s New Delhi followed with an AQI of 203, while Senegal’s Dakar ranked third at 196.
The provincial capital was the only Pakistani city to rank among the 20 most polluted cities. Karachi was the only other Pakistani city on the 21-city list, with an AQI of 110.
According to IQAir, in Lahore, “PM2.5 concentration is currently 45.2 times the World Health Organisation annual PM2.5 guideline value”. According to the website, PM2.5 can enter the circulatory system and even the brain, causing serious health complications if long-term exposure occurs. For those in Lahore, IQAir recommended avoiding outdoor exercise, keeping windows closed to prevent outdoor air from entering, wearing a mask outdoors and installing an air purifier indoors.
The Punjab government’s air quality monitoring platform, meanwhile, recorded an AQI of 339 for Lahore at 11am on Friday, classifying the air as ‘very unhealthy’. The reading was based on data from 10 monitoring stations across the city.
The difference between the readings on the two platforms may be due to variations in monitoring stations, averaging periods and methodologies. However, both indicated severe air pollution in the provincial capital.Meanwhile, the environment department claimed to continue its anti-smog guns operation across Lahore, deploying the machinery at pollution hotspots on the basis of air pollution monitoring readings and ground conditions.
Environment Director General Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh said a data-driven approach was being used to deploy anti-smog guns at locations where pollution levels required immediate attention. He said field teams were monitoring conditions across the city and ensuring that the machinery was moved to areas identified as pollution hotspots.
He said the operation was launched to control dust and particulate matter during the smog season.
“The deployment of anti-smog guns is being linked with field monitoring so that the available machinery can be utilised where it is most needed,” he said.
According to the department, anti-smog guns are being deployed on a priority basis in areas where higher pollution readings are recorded, particularly at locations with elevated PM10 (particulate matter 10) levels. The machinery is being used to suppress dust particles on roads and surrounding areas and limit their dispersion.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026
