Lahore’s Smog Crisis: Toxic Pollution Now Visible from Space
Lahore's AQI has reached hazardous levels, exceeding 600 on some days
Lahore is currently experiencing a severe smog crisis, with pollution levels so extreme that they are now visible from space.
Recent satellite imagery from NASA shows a massive cloud of thick, toxic smog covering Lahore and extending into northern India, including New Delhi.
This alarming situation has been exacerbated by a combination of factors, including agricultural burning, emissions from coal power plants, and heavy traffic, particularly from the city’s large number of motorbikes.
In Nasa’s satellite images, both the cities of Lahore and New Delhi are clearly visible shrouded in thick smog with no green cover.
Moreover on Tuesday, according to the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, Lahore turned out to have the most polluted air in the world.
Lahore stood at the top of the air quality index (AQI) list as India’s New Delhi and Vietnam’s Hanoi ranked in second and third places respectively.
Lahore’s AQI has reached hazardous levels, exceeding 600 on some days and even surpassing 2000 in certain areas. For context, any AQI value above 300 is considered hazardous.
A day earlier, the Punjab government banned most outdoor activities and imposed restrictions on the retail sector across four districts of the province, while complying with a directive of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the wake of hazardous smog that showed no sign of dissipating.
