Lahore Ranks World's Most Polluted City
Lahore, Pakistan, has once again been ranked among the world's most polluted major cities, recording an "extremely unhealthy" Air Quality Index (AQI) of 263 on November 10. Data from the Swiss air-quality monitoring group IQAir indicated that the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter hazardous to health, was 37.2 times higher than the World Health Organization's annual guideline.
Pakistan Points to Indian Diwali Celebrations
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab's Environment Protection Minister, publicly attributed Lahore's deteriorating air quality to pollution drifting from neighboring India. She stated that emissions from Diwali celebrations over the preceding weekend, combined with light winds, carried polluted air across the border into Pakistan. Aurangzeb expressed anticipation that changing weather patterns would eventually improve conditions.
Regional Pollution Spike Extends to India
The pollution spike is not isolated to Pakistan. Air quality also significantly worsened across northern India, with Delhi ranking as the world's second-most polluted major city. The Indian capital registered an AQI of 188. Indian government data suggested that firecrackers contributed nearly 55% of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on the day prior to the report.
Multiple Factors Contribute to Winter Smog
While firecracker emissions are a significant factor in the post-Diwali pollution surge, experts note that multiple sources contribute to the severe winter smog affecting the Indo-Gangetic plains. Key contributors include vehicle emissions, dust from construction activities, and smoke from agricultural residue burning in both India and Pakistan. Additionally, low wind speeds and unfavorable weather conditions often trap pollutants close to the ground, allowing harmful particles to accumulate over several days.
Revived Cross-Border Blame Game
These latest allegations from Pakistan revive a long-standing dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbors concerning cross-border pollution. In 2024, Pakistan had similarly blamed crop-residue burning in India's Punjab state for worsening its air quality. At that time, Indian meteorological officials disputed the claim, citing wind direction data that indicated air movement from Pakistan towards India.
India's Response Pending
As of the Reuters report, India's Ministry of External Affairs had not yet issued an immediate response to Pakistan's latest accusations regarding the Diwali-related pollution.