Toxic smog shrouded Lahore on Thursday as the city recorded a hazardous air quality index of 394, making it the world’s most polluted major city on November 12, according to data from Dawn.
Children attended school wearing protective face masks while provincial authorities enforced mandatory health measures across the city. Swiss group IQAir placed Lahore at the top of its global live ranking for the 5pm to 6pm window, with Delhi following in second place at 218 and Ulaanbaatar at 188. Readings above 301 fall into the hazardous category under the US AQI classification.
The Environment Protection Agency reported that Lahore’s average air quality index for the first 10 days of November reached 334, marking a 19 percent increase compared to 280 during the corresponding period last year. A separate monitoring assessment showed local transportation contributing 83 percent of emissions, while industry accounted for nine percent and other sources made up the remainder.
Punjab Environment Protection Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stated during a media briefing that pollutants drifted across the border from neighboring India following Diwali celebrations. Light winds carried the fine particulate matter into the region, according to government statements.
“However, air pollution is expected to gradually decrease from early afternoon as weather conditions improve and winds shift direction,” Aurangzeb told Geo News.
The EPA report attributed the post-Diwali spike partly to easterly winds originating from Indian Punjab, noting that pollution levels first surged at the Wagah border station before spreading to urban monitors six hours later. Unfavourable weather conditions compounded the crisis, including a 40 percent reduction in average wind speed and zero rainfall between November 1 and 10.
A parallel report by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative challenged the official narrative regarding cross-border fireworks. The assessment found no conclusive link between Diwali celebrations in India and the subsequent pollution spike in Punjab, NDTV reported.
Satellite data detected 16,714 likely crop-residue fires within Pakistan’s Punjab between October 1 and November 9. The initiative said that approximately 89 percent of the province’s pollution stemmed from domestic stubble burning, while PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore remained eight times above World Health Organization guidelines.
Government data showed that outpatient visits to primary healthcare facilities for respiratory and throat ailments declined by 69 percent compared to 2023. Authorities reported that 9,000 industrial units installed emission monitoring systems and 14,000 brick kilns converted to zigzag technology. Suparco satellite monitoring tracked 643 crop-residue fire anomalies by November 10, reflecting a 21 percent reduction compared to the previous year.
Jhang Sadar recorded an AQI of 579, followed by Raiwind at 437, Lahore at 394, Kahna Nau at 360, and Multan at 306 on November 12. Sialkot recorded 261, Gujranwala 225, Faisalabad 176, Jhelum 170, and Rawalpindi 159.
The department conducted 128,237 inspections of brick kilns and industrial units across Punjab from January 1 to November 10, sealing 6,198 premises.
Outpatient visits for respiratory and throat ailments at primary healthcare facilities declined by 69 percent compared to 2023, while secondary-level hospital cases decreased by 21 percent.