LAHORE: Lahore ranked as the world’s most polluted major city on Wednesday morning as smog thickened over the city with the onset of colder weather.

According to the live air quality ranking published by the Swiss air quality monitoring platform, IQAir, Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 296 at 10am on Oct 28, placing it at the top of the list of the world’s major cities breathing polluted air.

Cairo ranked second with an AQI of 289, followed by Delhi at 272. Tashkent stood fourth with an AQI of 186, while Karachi ranked fifth at 173, according to the ranking.

The US AQI scale placed Lahore and Cairo in the ‘very unhealthy’ category, while Delhi’s air quality also fell in the same bracket. An AQI reading of 296 indicates a high level of air pollution that, according to medical experts, can pose health risks, particularly for children, older people and those with respiratory or heart conditions. It also adversely affects animals’ health.

The worsening air quality coincides with colder conditions in Lahore during the early morning, when smog reduces visibility.

The city residents are advised to limit prolonged outdoor exertion when pollution levels are high, particularly those with asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Environment Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson Sajid Bashir told Dawn that they are monitoring the industry with modern gadgets to record emissions.

He says that as the weather effect is increasing smog, measures are being taken to stop stubble burning.

He says that easterly winds have been consistently pushing polluted air from India’s border regions into Lahore and worsening the smog situation across central Punjab.

He says the government is procuring and installing 30 more modern fog cannons mounted on electric trucks to combat severe smog and air pollution.

Mr Bashir says anti-smog guns have already been deployed on a priority basis in the areas with higher pollution levels, particularly at locations with elevated PM10 (Particulate Matter 10) levels. He says the machinery is being used to suppress dust particles on roads and surrounding areas and limit their dispersion.

Development work going on in Lahore and other cities of the province is also causing pollution, he adds.

He says measures being taken to combat smog may take time to produce results, adding that Punjab Climate Watch is working in three shifts to monitor the industry in Lahore city. He adds that teams are in the field to check violations of environmental laws, registering cases and imposing fines on violators.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2026