Lahore’s air stayed among the world’s worst all day as AQI touched 238
File photo: Badshahi Mosque seen through haze from Lahore Fort (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). The photo shows Lahore in hazy conditions; it is not today's AQI reading.
Breathing in Lahore turned difficult again on Tuesday. From morning to evening, the city’s name kept sliding up and down the live air-quality trackers — third at one point, second at another, and top of one monitor’s snapshot. The ranking kept shifting because these readings update by the hour, but one thing did not change all day: Lahore’s air sat somewhere between unhealthy and hazardous.
A morning peak of 285, still dangerous by afternoon
Punjab’s air-quality monitor put Lahore’s AQI at 285 at 6 a.m., up from 229 at the same hour a day earlier. Global monitor IQAir recorded the city’s overall index at 238, with New Delhi second at 214 and Karachi fifth at 166 on the same list. Inside the city the picture was worse in places: Shahdara hit 500, the Wagah Border area 366, Multan Road 335 and Barki Road 306. A later reading put the citywide figure at 199, with Allama Iqbal Town at 299 and the Civil Secretariat at 244.
Children, the elderly and patients at greatest risk
In air like this, eye irritation, coughing and breathlessness become common, and children, older people and those with heart or breathing conditions face the greatest risk. Residents have been advised to avoid going out unnecessarily, to skip strenuous activity outdoors, and to wear a mask if they must go out.
No rain on the way
The Meteorological Department sees no chance of rain in Lahore over the next 24 hours. Temperatures hovered around 22°C, with a forecast maximum of 30°C and a minimum of 17°C, while winds blew at just 3 kilometres per hour — leaving little to disperse the pollution. Other Punjab cities fared little better, with Pakpattan at 210 and Multan at 204, a sign that this is becoming a regional problem, not just Lahore’s.
