Lahore declared world’s most polluted city

Pakistan 's cultural city Lahore been declared the most polluted city in the world, with an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 394, and the Pakistan's Punjab government has planned for artificial rain to mitigate smog impact.

The AQI is a measure of the concentration of various pollutants in the air.  An AQI above 100 is considered unhealthy and above 150 “very unhealthy”.

The Smog crisis has been fuelled by crop residue burning and industrial emissions.

The hazardous smog has led to widespread health issues among the city residents, including coughing, breathing difficulties, eye irritation, and skin infections.

"Yesterday Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world. We have taken a number of initiatives to address the matter and now we are planning for an artificial rain in the city," Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari told a press conference here on Tuesday.

The Punjab government of Maryam Nawaz has also launched the ‘Anti-Smog Squad’ which will visit smog-affected areas.

Smog - the moniker for combination of smoke and fog - is a specific phenomenon that occurs when certain polluting microparticles mix with cold, moist air and hang close to the ground, reducing visibility and causing health issues.Pakistan’s Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world on Monday with an alarming AQI of 394. Punjab province on Tuesday said it has planned artificial rains to mitigate the impact of smog after Lahore faced an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 394.

It would be the second time that Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, would carry out cloud seeding for artificial rain. The first time it was done was in December 2023 that cloud seeding was done for combating hazardous levels of smog and the project had cost an estimated Rs 350 million. The Punjab government of Maryam Nawaz has also launched the ‘Anti-Smog Squad' which will visit smog-affected areas.