ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, lowered the Air Quality Index in Lahore from 666 to 170 in its first anti-smog gun operation on Saturday, a senior provincial minister said.
The move comes as Lahore, one of the world’s most polluted cities, faces worsening smog each winter from crop burning, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution that threaten public health and daily life.
Smog can cause sore throats, eye irritation and respiratory illnesses, while long-term exposure increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and lung cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable due to higher breathing rates and weaker immune systems.
“This 70 percent decrease in air pollution has been scientifically analyzed and confirmed by our advanced environmental monitoring system,” Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a video post on X.
“Our commitment to utilizing modern technology to combat smog and safeguard citizens’ health remains absolute.”
The video showed anti-smog trucks spraying fine water mist across Lahore to help settle dust and pollutants.
The smog season begins in late October, peaks from November to January and lasts through February.
Lahore’s 14 million residents spent six months breathing concentrations of PM2.5, tiny particles that can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream at levels 20 times or more than recommended by the World Health Organization.
Pakistan’s main urban centers routinely rank among the most polluted cities in the world, with vehicular emissions remaining one of the top contributors to air pollution.
This severe air pollution also undermines economic productivity and diminishes the quality of life for millions of residents.
