Pakistan blames India over ‘unexpected’ spike in air pollution as AQI in Lahore hits 1,900; wants to initiate talks  

Unprecedented air pollution levels in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore prompted authorities to take emergency measures, including issuing work-from-home mandates and closing primary schools as a thick blanket of smog covered the city.  

Lahore in Pakistan continued to be the most polluted city in the world for the past few days, recording an air quality index (AQI) of above 1,000 on November 2 morning, which later hit 1,900 level. According to Swiss air quality rating agency IQAir, the AQI in Lahore surged to 1,067 around 9:30 am. 

Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb 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,” she said, adding the provincial government would initiate talks with its bigger neighbour through Pakistan’s foreign ministry. 

“Smog is not a political but a humanitarian issue… The air does not recognise borders between our two countries. It’s impossible to fight smog unless both Punjabs take steps together,” she said as per a report in The Guardian. 

In light of the worsening air pollution, Lahore administration has taken a few emergency steps. Primary schools have been closed for a week and parents have been advised to make their children wear masks. 

Aurangzeb said half of all office employees would be forced to work from home in a bid to reduce vehicle pollution.  

Citizens have been urged to stay indoors, keep doors and windows shut, and avoid unnecessary travel, she said, adding that hospitals had been given smog counters. 

The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce the pollution levels. Factories and construction sites failing to comply with these regulations could be shut down, she said. 

Aurangzeb announced that the government plans to establish a “green ring” around the city using modern technology as part of the Lahore Green Master Plan. It will create a “wall of trees” to reduce carbon emissions and increase oxygen levels.