<keyword id="6580" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lahore" source="Orion">Lahore</keyword>, the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, was one of the most polluted major cities across the world for the second consecutive day on Thursday, according to a global air quality monitoring platform. The Punjab caretaker government on Wednesday imposed a "smog emergency" in the province with 127 million population to control the hazardous air quality as the iqair.com platform said Lahore remained the second most polluted city in the world. The government's decision came in light of the Lahore High Court's order to immediately impose a "smog emergency" in the city due to the constantly hazardous air quality index. The government said the environment department would seal industrial units with reopening only possible through a court order. The government said district administration will take strict actions to prevent stubble burning and black smoke from any chimney of brick kilns as well as factories and all brick kilns must transfer to zigzag technology. "Every smoke-emitting vehicle will be impounded and will be released only after attaining a proper fitness certificate," it said, adding that special anti-smog squads consisting of district and highway police will patrol day and night to stop stubble burning. On Wednesday, Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim chided the Lahore commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa for his failure to control the pollution. "Smog is not my personal problem but it is a matter of concern for the lives of our children. You are the custodian of Lahore city. See what you have done to it... you should be ashamed of Lahore's condition," the judge observed. Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier briefed caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar about the main reason for the spread of smog in Lahore as the burning of residues of crops in India's Punjab state. Kakar assured the Punjab government of taking up the issue of the smog with India at the diplomatic level.

Lahore is one of the most polluted cities in the world even as govt imposes 'smog emergency'

<keyword id="66" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="delhi" source="Orion">Delhi</keyword>'s <keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="air-quality" source="Orion">air quality</keyword> fluctuated between the very poor and severe categories on Thursday as unfavourable meteorological conditions hindered the dispersion of pollutants. Recent findings from a joint project by the Delhi government and IIT-Kanpur found that vehicular emissions accounted for about 38% of the capital's air pollution on Wednesday. This is projected to rise to 40% on Thursday. Secondary inorganic aerosols -- particles such as sulfate and nitrate that are formed in the atmosphere due to the interaction of gases and particulate pollutants from sources like power plants, refineries, and vehicles -- is the second major contributor to Delhi's foul air, accounting for 30 to 35% of the air pollution in the city over the last few days. Calm winds and low temperatures are allowing accumulation of pollutants and relief is unlikely over the next few days, an official at the India Meteorological Department (<keyword id="6366970" type="General" weightage="30" keywordseo="imd" source="Orion">IMD</keyword>) said. Delhi's Air Quality Index stood at 393 at 9 am on Thursday. Its 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 401 on Wednesday. It was 397 on Tuesday. It was 358 on Monday and 218 on Sunday, 220 on Saturday, 279 on Friday and 437 on Thursday. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (358), Gurugram (325), Greater Noida (343), Noida (337) and Faridabad (409) also recorded very poor to severe air quality. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, 401 and 450 severe and above 450 severe plus. Delhi's air quality dropped over the last few days despite the state government implementing stringent measures, including a ban on construction work and the entry of diesel-guzzling trucks into the city, to control pollution. According to IQAir, a Swiss company that specialises in air quality monitoring, Delhi was the most polluted city in the world on Wednesday, followed by Lahore and Mumbai. A system developed by the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to identify the contribution of different pollution sources showed stubble-burning accounted for 23% of the air pollution in the capital on Wednesday and 11% on Thursday. It is likely to come down to four% on Friday. An official of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had earlier said stringent measures, including a ban on construction work and the entry of polluting trucks in the national capital, under the final stage of the central government's air pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue until further orders. Earlier this week, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said the city government may implement the odd-even car rationing scheme if the AQI crosses the 400 mark. The government last week postponed the implementation of the scheme, which permits cars to operate on alternate days based on the odd or even last digit of their registration numbers, after a notable improvement in the city's air quality due to rain on Friday. Doctors say breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day. Prolonged exposure to high levels of pollution can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dramatically raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, they said. Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers and other local pollution sources, contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during winters. According to a <keyword id="68030" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="delhi-pollution" source="Orion">Delhi Pollution</keyword> Control Committee (DPCC) analysis, the city experiences peak pollution from November 1 to 15, when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases. On Wednesday, 2,544 fresh stubble burning incidents were reported in Punjab, taking the total number of such fires to 30,661 since September 15. According to a report compiled by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) in August, air pollution is shortening lives by almost 12 years in Delhi.

Delhi's air quality very poor, vehicular emissions largest contributor

<keyword id="6580" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lahore" source="Orion">Lahore</keyword> has been declared the <keyword id="8829273" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="most-polluted-city-in-the-world" source="Orion">most polluted city in the world</keyword>, leaving its traditional rival <keyword id="6358777" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-delhi" source="Orion">New Delhi</keyword> far behind, <keyword id="59588" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dawn" source="Orion">Dawn</keyword> reported. The official <keyword id="2071721" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Quality-Index" source="Orion">Air Quality Index</keyword> (AQI) of Lahore was reported at 289 (as per the average between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) and international monitoring bodies put the score at 397. New Delhi stood at less than half of Lahore's pollution level, with 187. Individual areas of Lahore fared worse, with Kot Lakhpat (industrial area) crossing over 500, Fatehgarh housing most of the steel melting industry close to 400 and relatively green areas like Raiwind at 403 AQI. "At 397 AQI, [or particulate matter (PM) 2.5], the pollution concentration is 34.8 times higher than the annual air quality value set by the <keyword id="6356311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="Orion">World Health Organisation</keyword>. This is, what environmentalists call, hazardous with it getting ‘extremely hazardous' at individual points," explains Abdul Rauf, representing an organisation working on air quality of the city, the report said. "What makes the matter dangerous is that it was not smog on Monday, it was pure pollution," claims an official of the environment department. Smog occurs when smoke mixes with fog. On Monday, the humidity level in the city was 60 per cent — and such a level does not form fog. Monday's mist did not cause any eye irritation, which also proves it was not smog. This means that this haze was pure pollution. "Secondly, and what is extremely worrying as well, is the fact that it is purely indigenous. The country is still experiencing westerly winds, which means the wind is flowing towards India and pollution from that side of the border has still not invaded <keyword id="3001" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword>. Once the wind changes its direction and carries Indian pollution (mainly smoke emanating from stubble burning) into Pakistan, the situation here would certainly worsen," the official said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/logistics-startup-delhivery-files-for-a-nearly-1-billion-ipo/articleshow/87481889.cms">Logistics startup Delhivery files for a nearly $1 billion IPO</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/zika-virus-kanpur-reports-one-more-new-case-taking-the-toll-to-11-cases/articleshow/87480737.cms">Zika virus: Kanpur reports one more new case, taking the toll to 11 cases</a>

Lahore declared as the most polluted city in the world, Delhi at second position

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York City's air is abysmal this week because of smoke from Canadian wildfires. </li><li>Hazy skies are a shock to New York and other eastern locales but poor air is common in many cities.</li></ul>As a former New York City resident, I'm always curious about what's going on there. This week I didn't expect my texts to be about air quality. Coworkers, friends, and family members in various locales up and down the East Coast texted me about the terrible smoke blanketing their neighborhoods, with a cousin saying he'd had some trouble breathing. Another family member said Manhattan looked apocalyptic.For the past few days, New York City's air has appeared dirtier than the bottom of a subway track. The foul air from massive Canadian wildfires is expected to linger through at least Saturday. As shocked as New Yorkers — and people in other big cities from Detroit to Washington, DC — might be to barely be able to make out their skylines, this is nothing new for many people who live in other parts of the world. Lahore, Pakistan; Hotan, China; and Bhiwadi, India, had the worst air quality in the world in 2022, according to <a href="https://www.iqair.com/us/world-most-polluted-cities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data from IQ Air</a>. My colleague Spriha Srivastava wrote that New York's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-air-quality-awful-pollution-every-day-delhi-2023-6">suffocating smog reminds her of growing up in Delhi</a>. Indeed, New York City has found itself atop the rankings — and above all of the perennial offenders — for having the worst air quality and being hazardous to breathe. New York Mayor Eric Adams said that by Wednesday afternoon the <a href="https://abc7ny.com/air-quality-nyc-forecast-alert-canada-wildfire-smoke/13357814/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air quality index hit 484</a>, out of a scale of 500. As of midday Thursday, it's around 180 — still not great.New Yorkers and others are getting a taste of what it can be like to live in Doha, Qatar, and Shanghai, where at least air pollution <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1283503/china-annual-pm25-particle-levels-shanghai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appears to be improving</a>.<div type="image" title="A hazy Manhattan skyline" height="2268" width="3023" msid="100858112" hostid="261"></div>In many developed economies, expectations about clean air are baked in. But that wasn't always the case, even in the US. Landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act, signed into law by President Nixon in 1970 and beefed up in 1990, acted like a giant air filter for the nation. Today, in many global cities where the air quality is poor, the focus is often on building economies to lift people out of poverty. "They're in a period of rapid economic growth," Robert Kremens, a physicist who studies wildfires, told Insider. "They sacrifice air quality over human health." He said those decisions are often understandable because the focus is on ensuring citizens aren't going hungry, for example. Yet there are consequences from the pollution as well. A study published last year found 86% of people living in the world's urban spaces encounter air pollution that's <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00350-8/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than seven times</a> above guidelines put out by the World Health Organization back in 2005. Cleaner air is something the US now takes for granted — even out west where smoke from wildfires is far more common. Kremens, who is with the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science at Rochester Institute of Technology, said the US made a decision decades ago to make cleaner air a priority. That meant a big drop in pollution from industrial smokestacks and tailpipes. That was quite a change from the years before the federal government had the authority to regulate what America was sending into the sky. In 1948, for example, over the course of five days in Donora, Pennsylvania, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4133758/#:~:text=The%20Clean%20Air%20Act%20of,from%20stationary%20and%20mobile%20sources." target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 people died</a> and thousands more were made sick by air pollution that spewed from a factory. It was incidents like this and seminal works like Rachel Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring" on the effects of insecticides that propelled a nascent environmental movement.When the <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/earth-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first</a> Earth Day took place in April 1970, air pollution was a major problem in most US cities. In 1969, a river in Cleveland topped with industrial runoff caught fire, something that had happened at least a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/cuyahoga-river-caught-fire-least-dozen-times-no-one-cared-until-1969-180972444/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dozen</a> times before. Almost one in 10 Americans took part in demonstrations or activities on the first Earth Day, and those participants sought something in particular: government action. Those actions have since made such a difference that many of us are now shocked by what poor air quality looks like."I'm going out to LA tomorrow. It's not red anymore. It used to be red when we went there," Kremens said this week from his office in Rochester, New York. "This is a societal decision, where we're going to clean up the air and the water." Kremens pointed to the Clean Air Act and the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clean Water Act</a> as examples for what can be done when enough attention is paid to an environmental challenge. These advance are likely why the recent haze choking so many eastern cities has been so jarring, even for Kremens, who has gone around the world studying — and fighting — fires for more than 20 years. "I go outside and it smells like Montana," he said. "I have so many pictures on my wall that look like here now, but they're from Utah and Montana and places I've worked out west."I'm looking forward to another batch of photos from friends and family in eastern cities — pictures showing clear skies.

New Yorkers are getting a taste of what it's like to live in the pollution of Delhi, Doha, and Shanghai

<ul><li>A recent study by Greenpeace has revealed that India ranks third on the world’s list of most polluted countries. </li><li>Seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India. </li><li>Globally, the alarming increase in air pollution is expected to cause 7 million premature deaths in the next year.</li></ul>A new study has revealed that India accounts for seven of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, with Gurugram ranking as the worst in the world with highest level of pollutants. Countrywise, India ranks third on the world ranking for <a href="https://www.airvisual.com/world-most-polluted-cities?continent=&amp;country=&amp;state=&amp;page=1&amp;perPage=50&amp;cities=">highest</a> PM 2.5 concentration, which are tiny particles believed to the most harmful for human health. Gurugram, in the National Capital Region, is the most polluted city in India and the world — with an average <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/21193/latest-air-pollution-data-ranks-worlds-cities-worst-to-best/">air quality index</a> at 135.8, recorded last year. Other Indian cities that rank in the top 10 list includes Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwadi, Noida, Patna, and Lucknow . The report published by Greenpeace, India has highlighted that the alarming increase in air pollution may cause seven million premature deaths globally next year due to unequal distribution of PM 2.5 particles contributing to air pollution. Overall, 64% of the 3,000 cities covered in the report surpassed the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on PM2.5 exposure, which includes pollutants such as sulphate, nitrate and black carbon among others. These particles may also lead to lung and heart disorders. This comes when India already has the most number of real-time data coverage centers, monitoring the <keyword id="2071721" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Quality-Index">air quality index</keyword> around the country. It’s evident that in addition to monitoring, there is a pressing need to set pollution reduction targets and consumption caps on polluting fuels such as coal, petroleum and diesel in the most polluted areas. Productivity losses from pollution covers nearly 8.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in India, as per the World Bank analysis. In fact, stubble burning contributing to pollution, has lead to economic loss of ₹ 2 trillion in India, annually. Stressing on the world economy Yeb Sano, Executive Director of Greenpeace South East Asia <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/21193/latest-air-pollution-data-ranks-worlds-cities-worst-to-best/">said</a> “Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our futures, but we can change that. In addition to human lives lost, there’s an estimated global cost of $225 billion in lost labour, and trillions in medical costs. This has enormous impacts, on our health and on our wallets.” According to another <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/most-polluted-cities-in-india-will-still-have-filthy-air-despite-ncap-says-greenpeace/articleshow/67749627.cms">report</a> by Greenpeace on pollution, even if the country reduces PM10 levels that it targets to accomplish by 2024, India will still have 139 cities with hazardous pollution levels. Here’s a list of the 10 most polluted cities across the globe: <ol><li>Gurugram, India</li><li>Ghaziabad, India</li><li>Faisalabad, Pakistan</li><li>Faridabad, India</li><li>Bhiwadi, India</li><li>Noida, India</li><li>Patna, India</li><li>Lucknow, India</li><li>Hotan,China</li><li>Lahore, Pakistan</li></ol>See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/most-polluted-cities-in-india-will-still-have-filthy-air-despite-ncap-says-greenpeace/articleshow/67749627.cms">India's plan to fight air pollution has a flaw, says Greenpeace</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pollution-aside-stubble-burning-may-have-cost-india-a-loss-of-2-trillion-study/articleshow/68264811.cms">Pollution aside, stubble burning may have cost India a loss of ₹2 trillion: Study</a>

India accounts for 7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities — with Gurugram ranked as the worst: Study

In a respite to the <keyword id="6354780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="karnataka" source="Orion">Karnataka</keyword> government which has eased restrictions after a decline in the number of cases, <keyword id="6354321" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bengaluru" source="Orion">Bengaluru</keyword> has not recorded any Covid fatality in the past 70 days, according to the health department. The last Covid death that Bengaluru had recorded was on August 23. According to statistics released on Monday, only two fatalities were recorded across the state. Following the trend, the government is all set to lift nightlife curbs in Bengaluru and other cities. The Covid Technical Advisory Committee has already recommended easing curbs on nightlife, according to sources. The state reported 185 Covid positive cases with Bengaluru accounting for 95 cases. The state's positivity rate stood at 0.3 per cent. According to experts, vaccination coverage in the state, especially in Bengaluru, contributed to the reduction in Covid fatalities and positivity rate. Karnataka has so far administered 4.2 crore first doses of Covid vaccination and 2.3 crore second doses. According to sources, the Covid Technical Advisory Committee has recommended the lifting of the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. night curfew. The state government has removed all major restrictions barring movement of people from Kerala. The committee has also considered the possibility of spread of the new variant virus AY 4.2. The night curfew was clamped from April 10 during the tenure of former Chief Minister <keyword id="943063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="b-s-yediyurappa" source="Orion">B.S.Yediyurappa</keyword> at the peak of the second wave. The government is likely to lift the restrictions on night life after Diwali celebrations. However, a final call will be taken after the festival ends and the impact of the gathering of lakhs of people without following Covid norms of social distancing and wearing of masks for Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar' funeral, who died due to cardiac arrest, is known in another two weeks, experts opine. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/lahore-declared-as-the-most-polluted-city-in-the-world-delhi-at-second-position/articleshow/87481980.cms">Lahore declared as the most polluted city in the world, Delhi at second position</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/logistics-startup-delhivery-files-for-a-nearly-1-billion-ipo/articleshow/87481889.cms">Logistics startup Delhivery files for a nearly $1 billion IPO</a>

You Searched For "Lahore pollution in world" and got 6 results

Lahore is one of the most polluted cities in the world even as govt imposes 'smog emergency'

PTI

Delhi's air quality very poor, vehicular emissions largest contributor

PTI

Lahore declared as the most polluted city in the world, Delhi at second position

IANS

New Yorkers are getting a taste of what it's like to live in the pollution of Delhi, Doha, and Shanghai

Tim Paradis

India accounts for 7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities — with Gurugram ranked as the worst: Study

BI India Bureau

Bengaluru records no COVID-19 death in the past 70 days even after government easing restrictions

IANS