Overview
- Lahore’s AQI fell to 89 on Sunday after rain and thunderstorms, a short-lived improvement from hazardous readings reported in recent days.
- Forecasters expect pollution to climb steadily through the week, reaching roughly 152 by Thursday, with experts advising masks and reduced outdoor exposure.
- Earlier readings placed Lahore atop global city rankings at AQI 163, with several neighborhoods logging very unhealthy to hazardous levels such as Multan Road 316 and Ada Plot 286.
- The Punjab government began using ‘anti-smog cannons’ that spray fine mist to settle particulates, linked to the province’s real-time monitoring network and the Environment Protection Force.
- PMD warned that heavy rain could trigger flash floods in northern Punjab, Rawalpindi, upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Kashmir, while PDMA said floods are under control but noted potential additional inflows into the Sutlej and Ravi from India.