Lahore's air quality index climbed to 419 on Thursday morning, the worst reading of any major city in the world, as thick smog settled over Punjab's capital. The figure, recorded by Swiss monitoring firm IQAir between 10am and 11am, put Lahore far ahead of Cairo at 274 and New Delhi at 220. Punjab's own dashboard showed 324 for Lahore in the morning, with nearby Kasur worse at 348 and Faisalabad at 290. Readings above 300 fall in the hazardous band. Conditions eased to 183 by early afternoon, after a citywide index of 358 on Wednesday, with Allama Iqbal Town recording 605.

Experts blame missed chances for rain

Air quality specialists told news agency INP that the Punjab government let several cloudy October days pass without attempting cloud seeding, saying heavy rain on those days could have cleared the city's smog at least once. They added that officials repeatedly pointed to technology said to remove microscopic pollutants from the air without rain, but that they knew of no such system in use anywhere in the world. The province has previously carried out cloud seeding: in November 2024 it reported rain in Jhelum, Gujran Khan, Chakwal and Talagang using locally developed technology.

Health advice as enforcement continues

Medical experts have urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, wear a filter mask such as an N95 when they must go out, and keep doors and windows shut. Children, older people and those with asthma or heart and lung conditions face the greatest risk, with eye irritation, sore throats and breathlessness common at current levels. The provincial environment department says enforcement continues, with thousands of brick kilns and industrial sites inspected in a month-long operation, but residents say the gap between those figures and the air they breathe remains the core complaint.

Sources: LHR Times, Pakistan Point.