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LAHORE, Dec 21 (APP): As the average AQI surged to 450, foggy, cloudy and hazy conditions persisted in the city on Sunday, while the Met. Office forecast light to moderate rain on Monday.
With the sharp rise in pollution levels, Lahore also ranked among the world’s top ten most polluted cities. According to IQAir, the average AQI remained in the hazardous category, with PM2.5 concentration measured at 56.8 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline value.
Dense fog led to the closure of several motorways at various points due to poor visibility across many cities of Punjab. Motorway M2 from Lahore to Kot Momin, M3 from Lahore to Samundri and the Sialkot Motorway M11 were closed, while the M4 from Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad was also shut. Motorway Police advised that safe travel during the foggy season was between 10am and 6pm. Fog was also reported in Sundar, Manga Mandi, Phool Nagar and Pattoki, where visibility on the national highway dropped to between zero and 100 metres.
The dense fog partially disrupted flight operations at Lahore Airport, causing delays to several international flights. Airport sources said flights from Lahore to Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi were delayed, while a PIA flight to Canada was held up by more than seven hours. The most polluted areas of the provincial capital included Allama Iqbal Town (688), Liberty (671), Bedian Road (485), B Block Phase 5, DHA (441), Barki Road (399), Cantonment (347), Johar Town (317) and Askari X (298).