LAHORE: Lahore was ranked the world’s most polluted major city on Monday as its Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 590, according to IQAir. A separate historical reading on the platform, however, showed an hourly index of 647, placing the city in the hazardous category.

The IQAir live global major city ranking for 9am to 10am on Nov 9 placed Lahore at the top, followed by Ulaanbaatar with an AQI of 177, Delhi with 174, Kolkata with 173 and Sarajevo with 170.

The ranking showed Lahore’s pollution level to be more than three times that of the second-ranked city. The platform’s historical air quality graph separately displayed an hourly reading of 647 for Lahore during the same period.

According to global health statistics, air pollution, both outdoor and indoor, is the second-leading risk factor for deaths worldwide, claiming an estimated 8.1 million lives annually. Outdoor particulate matter alone accounts for 4.7 million deaths.

Within Lahore, air pollution is affecting several neighbourhoods. IQAir’s station ranking for the city shows multiple areas experiencing extremely poor air quality. Allama Iqbal Town recorded an AQI of 1,033, while CERP Office (864) and Burki Road Paragon (748) also reported hazardous levels. Hourly historical graphs indicate that pollution levels rise sharply during the early morning and late-night hours, creating dense smog that forces residents to remain indoors.

The crisis is not confined to Lahore. Other parts of Punjab are also experiencing hazardous air quality. IQAir’s real-time Pakistan city ranking showed Raiwind (688), Multan (655), Lahore (639) and Faisalabad (600) all recording air quality levels in the hazardous category.

The deterioration came a day after the Punjab government warned that smoke from Diwali fireworks in neighbouring Indian Punjab, crop-residue burning and easterly winds could aggravate air pollution in Lahore and adjoining districts.

A special report issued by the provincial government on Nov 8 had predicted that smoke from Diwali fireworks could reach Lahore within five to 13 hours. It forecast an increase in pollution levels in Lahore, Kasur and border areas on the morning of Nov 9, as easterly winds were expected to carry polluted air from Indian territory towards Pakistan.

The report identified fireworks, crop-residue burning and stagnant air during the night as factors that could contribute to a deterioration in air quality.

Amritsar, located around 50 kilometres from Lahore, was identified as a potential source of cross-border pollution. However, a measurement-based assessment would be required to establish how much of Lahore’s pollution could be attributed to fireworks and other sources across the border.

Indian media reports also highlighted deteriorating air quality after Diwali celebrations in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala. The AQI in Mandi Gobindgarh reportedly reached 445, while New Delhi also experienced a sharp increase in pollution following the fireworks.

The Punjab government’s report recorded 2,347 incidents of crop-residue burning in Indian Punjab up to Nov 4. Of these, 1,081 were reported in three districts — Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Amritsar — located opposite Lahore and Kasur. These accounted for 46 per cent of the reported incidents in Indian Punjab.

However, satellite-based fire detections indicate that agricultural fires are also a major concern in Pakistan. An analysis by Hamari Hawa using NASA’s VIIRS satellite data recorded 13,241 fire detections in Pakistani Punjab, compared with 3,158 in Indian Punjab, between Oct 1 and 29, 2026, showing more than four times as many detections on the Pakistani side. The analysis found that 92 per cent of the detections in Pakistani Punjab were on farmland.

A separate analysis covering Oct 15 to Nov 1 identified 7,130 crop-associated fire detections within a 100-kilometre radius of Lahore on both sides of the border, including 781 within 40 kilometres of central Lahore.

The district-wise figures included 322 detections in Sheikhupura, 149 in Tarn Taran, 106 in Amritsar, 77 in Nankana Sahib, 62 in Lahore and 50 in Kasur. These satellite detections indicate fire activity and should not be treated as individually verified crop-burning incidents.

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Punjab, meanwhile, reported 679 agricultural fire incidents across the province, of which 650 had been extinguished through coordinated surveillance and firefighting operations. The agency said it had intensified its crackdown on stubble burning by deploying specialised night squads, drones, tractor-mounted fire bowsers and Quick Response Units in agricultural hotspots.

According to the EPA, the Punjab Climate Watch Hub was using satellite-based fire-anomaly detection to identify vulnerable locations and alert district field formations for on-ground verification and firefighting. The campaign was being conducted in districts including Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Kasur, Sialkot, Sargodha and Gujranwala.

EPA Director General Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh has directed regional directors and field formations to prioritise anti-stubble-burning operations and personally monitor enforcement. He has also conducted surprise inspections along motorway corridors and GT roads to assess surveillance and firefighting arrangements.

The EPA said its operations against agricultural burning were being reinforced through coordination with district administrations and Agriculture Department officials, while legal action was being taken against those involved in illegal crop-residue burning.

The provincial government’s report also noted that Lahore’s nighttime PM2.5 concentration had already reached 202 micrograms per cubic metre before Diwali. It said prevailing weather conditions had increased the likelihood of pollution from fireworks and agricultural fires accumulating and spreading.

The government had forecast that pollution levels would remain high on Nov 9 and 10, with a slight improvement expected from Nov 11.

The Environment Protection Department is expected to release comparative findings on Nov 10 to assess the contributions of different pollution sources and weather conditions. Such an assessment would be important in establishing the extent of cross-border pollution and distinguishing it from emissions generated within Punjab.