Pakistan battles worst air pollution crisis as Lahore hits record AQI of 1,600, becomes most polluted city

As air pollution continues to worsen in northern India, parts of Pakistan are experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world this November. On November 15, Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of nearly 1,600 making it the most polluted city in the world. 

Swiss monitoring group IQAir reported that the CERP Office area in Lahore had an AQI of 1,587 on the morning of November 15. In fact, four locations in Lahore recorded AQI levels exceeding 1,000: the CERP Office, Syed Maratib Ali Road, Pakistan Engineering Services offices, and VTS. 

Dense, toxic smog has blanketed several cities in Punjab, with Lahore and Multan being the hardest hit. In Multan, the AQI has exceeded 2,000 on two occasions, setting a new record for air pollution in the country. 

The smog has been so severe that nearly two million people in Punjab sought medical care for respiratory issues in just one month, according to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper. The Punjab health department reported 1.9 million cases, with more than 126,000 in Lahore alone. Between November 13 and November 14, nearly 69,000 cases of respiratory ailments, including breathing problems and chest infections, were recorded across the province, the report added.  

Pakistan has implemented a range of emergency measures to address the growing crisis. These include a three-month ban on weddings, new guidelines for the transportation sector, and the closure of schools and colleges in affected areas. The Punjab government has also declared the smog a “calamity” and activated emergency response protocols. 

NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) also reported the severe smog over northern Pakistan. “A thick blanket of smog covered northern Pakistan in early November, reducing air quality, closing schools, and sending hundreds to the hospital,” NASA said.  

The haze was so dense that it completely obscured the landscape, with lighter patches indicating ground-level fog beneath the smog. Lahore, which has recently ranked as the most polluted city in the world, lies near the northeastern edge of the smog blanket, NASA added. 

The crisis has prompted a flurry of responses from local authorities, as the country grapples with its most severe air pollution event in years. According to several Pakistani media reports the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority had declared smog a “calamity” and instituted emergency measures. 

Government officials described the situation as “unexpected” and attributed the deterioration in air quality to winds carrying pollution from neighbouring India.  

“This cannot be solved without talks with India,” Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb said, adding the provincial government would initiate talks with its bigger neighbour through Pakistan’s foreign ministry.