Lahore was again ranked the world's most polluted major city on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, as thick smog settled over Punjab and air quality stayed in the hazardous range. Swiss monitoring group IQAir recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 425 in Lahore between 11am and noon, a level far above the threshold of 300 at which air is classed as hazardous.

The Punjab government's own readings for the same hour were worse in some districts, with Muzaffargarh and Nankana Sahib both recording an AQI of 500. Photographs from Wednesday morning showed commuters, schoolchildren and workers moving through dense grey haze in Lahore, Multan and Karachi, with visibility sharply reduced and many people wearing masks.

Smog blankets Punjab cities

The smog has now disrupted daily life across much of Punjab for several weeks. Seasonal smog blankets large parts of Pakistan during the winter months, and Lahore has repeatedly topped IQAir's ranking of the world's most polluted major cities in recent days. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Lahore was currently the most polluted major city in the world, according to IQAir.

The poor air has already forced changes to the sporting calendar. The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday that the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, scheduled for 17 to 21 November, had been moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi because of worsening smog. Rawalpindi is already hosting the first Test of the series.

What is driving the pollution

A report by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, released on Tuesday, put Lahore's average PM2.5 level at 126 micrograms per cubic metre between 1 October and 9 November, about eight times the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline. PM2.5 refers to fine particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, and it is the main pollutant behind Lahore's smog.

The same report said satellites had detected 16,714 likely crop-residue fires across Punjab in that period, almost as many as last year, and that Lahore's air had broken Pakistan's own air quality standard on every day measured. The Punjab government has blamed pollution drifting from India, where fireworks during the Diwali festival at the weekend added to the haze across the region, but the report found most of the smoke came from fires burning inside Punjab itself.

Health advice for residents

Health experts advise people in Lahore and other affected cities to limit time outdoors, keep windows closed where possible, wear a mask outside and seek medical advice if they develop breathing difficulty, persistent coughing or irritation of the eyes and throat. Children, older people and anyone with asthma or heart conditions face the greatest risk during hazardous-air episodes.

Air quality in Lahore typically worsens from October to February, when cool, still air traps vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and smoke from crop burning close to the ground. With the smog season still in its early weeks, residents are likely to face further hazardous days before conditions improve.