Lahore measured 5th most polluted city of world on AQI

Despite artificial rain in Lahore to ease the smog situation in Lahore, Punjab’s capital remained 5th most polluted city in the world.

On Saturday, the Punjab government successfully conducted a test for artificial rain via cloud-seeding over a limited area in Lahore to curb smog.

The average reading of Lahore on the Air Quality Index measured 221 today in the morning.

The Air Quality Index measured over 396 at Shrahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam, 300 in the Ground Cantonment Area and over 400 in Mall Road areas.

The AQI is calculated on the basis of five categories of pollution: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI rating between 201 to 300 is more harmful and AQI over 300 is extremely hazardous.

According to experts, an increase in air pollution used to be recorded in the winter. A change in the wind speed, wind direction and sliding minimum temperature increases air pollution.

The air becomes heavier in the winter as compared to summer, causing poisonous particles in the atmosphere to move downwards and making the atmosphere polluted. As a result, a layer of polluted particles, including large amounts of carbon and smoke, covers an area.

The smoke produced by burning crop remnants, factories and burning coal, garbage, oil or tyres enters the atmosphere and the impact of this appear at the onset of winter and remains till the season’s end, experts said.