Lahore: The provincial capital topped the list of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 266 (very unhealthy) on Saturday, while the highest AQI readings exceeded 500.
Data from IQAir revealed that the city’s PM2.5 concentration was 38.2 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s annual guideline for PM2.5 levels.
According to the data, Lahore ranked as the world’s most polluted city, followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an AQI of 238, and Hanoi, Vietnam, also at 238. Other cities in the top ten included Delhi, India (214), Accra, Ghana (187), Chongqing, China (182), Cairo, Egypt (176), Kuwait City, Kuwait (160), Wuhan, China (159), and Krasnoyarsk, Russia (158).
Within Lahore, the most polluted areas included Polo Ground Cantt (555), Burki Road (414), DHA Phase V (380), Tufail Road near Rahat Bakery (374), Mini Market Gulberg (364), Askari 10 (356), Valancia Town (356), Hiking and Mountaineering Club GCU (354), US Consulate (334), and Thokar (302).