A man with his face covered rides a motorbike amid heavy smog in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, on Nov. 15, 2019. The air quality in Lahore and adjoining districts on Friday surpassed a hazardous level, forcing local government to close down all public and private schools for two days, according to a notification issued by the Punjab School Education Department. (Photo by Sajjad/Xinhua/IANS)
Islamabad, November 2 (IANS): Lahore has been named the world's most polluted city on Monday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 530 and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations rising to 343 micrograms per cubic metre, local media reported.
According to IQAir's global ranking from 9 am to 10 am on Monday, Lahore was ranked as the most polluted city in the world, followed by Cairo with an AQI of 226. Apart from Lahore, other cities of Pakistan's Punjab province were placed among the country's most polluted urban centres, the Dawn reported.
Lahore topped the ranking with an AQI of 530, followed by Gujranwala at 475, Faisalabad at 435, Multan at 280, and Sialkot at 241. Punjab's Bahawalpur was at the seventh spot with an AQI of 180. Punjab has been witnessing deteriorating air quality amid a sharp rise in agricultural fire detections across the province.
Air pollution cuts life expectancy in Pakistan by an estimated 3.9 years and contributes to around 128,000 premature deaths each year, according to a report by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI). The report said that pollution imposes an economic burden of 6.5 per cent of Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while exposure to polluted air for a long time could reduce life expectancy in Lahore by up to seven years.
The report titled 'Unveiling Pakistan's Air Pollution: A National Landscape Report on Health Risks, Sources, and Solutions' presents Pakistan's first harmonised, multi-sector emissions inventory along with a multi-city analysis of air quality. The report examines pollution patterns in several cities of Pakistan, such as Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Peshawar. It identified the primary sources of emissions in each city and detailed measures that could reduce them by up to 50 per cent, Pakistan's The Express Tribune reported.
The assessment covers carbon dioxide, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulphur dioxide (SO2), detailing sector-wise analysis of emissions across the four urban airsheds, The Express Tribune reported. The report said that Lahore's annual average PM2.5 concentration is more than 110 micrograms per cubic metre, over 22 times the World Health Organisation's (WHO) annual guideline of five micrograms per cubic metre. Exposure to these pollution levels for a long time could reduce life expectancy in the city by up to seven years, according to the report.
Transport has been identified as the largest source of primary PM2.5 emissions in Lahore, followed by industry at 28 per cent and brick kilns at 17 per cent, The Express Tribune reported. These sources contribute to Lahore's particulate pollution, with winter weather conditions further aggravating the problem.
