The city's overall AQI has been recorded at 690, placing Lahore at the top of the world's most polluted cities list. Not far from Lahore in this list was Delhi, India's capital, where AQI in East Delhi's Anand Vihar touched a severe 403 today morning. As of 1:15 pm today, data from SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) notes that Delhi's AQI stood at 361. Just like Delhi, Lahore's worsening air quality is also exacerbated by
As such, the
These consist of smoke, soot, dust, pollen, bacteria, and more. Why they are particularly dangerous is that these particles can settle deep into our lungs when inhaled, causing respiratory issues, eye irritation, coughing, and more.
Owing to deteriorating air quality in India's capital, GRAP-2, or
Additionally, water sprinkling and mechanical sweeping will be carried out on specific sites regularly, along with dust control measures enforced at various construction sites across the city. With Diwali around the corner, the Delhi government has already banned the production, sale, storage, and usage of firecrackers till January 1, 2025.
The air becomes heavier in the winter as compared to the summer, causing poisonous particles in the atmosphere to move downwards and making the atmosphere polluted. To combat this, Pakistan is planning
Research by the International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, has even found a strong causality between the risk of premature mortality and excess air pollution levels. In areas where average concentrations of PM2.5 exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 40 micrograms per cubic meter, newborns (less than 30 days old) were at an 86% increased risk of premature mortality. This rose to 104% in infants aged up to 1 year, 119% in children aged between 1-5, and 13% in adults.