Lahore has been ranked at the top of global pollution charts with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of more than 300. According to the Swiss air quality monitor IQAir, Lahore, with an AQI of 353, was ranked in the first spot among the most polluted cities of the world.
The air quality was measured as unhealthy in Rahim Yar Khan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad, while extremely foggy weather conditions were present in the plains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Punjab, causing poor visibility on highways. Pakistan’s major cities, including Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, continue to experience persistent and hazardous smog.
The Indus Basin is facing acute stress due to over-extraction of groundwater and climate change, with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ranking it as the world’s second-most-overstressed aquifer in 2015.
