Lahore emerges as second most affected city by smog in world

Despite tall claims made by the Punjab government that it is coming down hard on the people whose activities contribute to pollution, the situation in Lahore is far from satisfactory as with the air quality index (AQI) recorded at 400, it emerged as the second most polluted city in the world on Monday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

New Delhi, with 451 AQI, topped the list of the cities with worst air quality.

The situation in Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Multan and other cities of Punjab was not encouraging either as smoke continued to billow from brick kilns and there was hardly any check on smoke-emitting vehicles.

Karachi emerges as sixth most polluted city

With AQI standing at 198, Karachi was ranked sixth most polluted city in the world.

The Met Office forecast dry and hot weather for the port city during the next 24 hours.

However, it said there would be nip in the air at night and in the morning.

It predicted that the daytime temperature would go up to 33 degrees Celsius, while it would remain 18 degrees Celsius on the minimum side.

The level of moisture in the morning was recorded at 80 per cent, while light breeze was blowing from the north-east.

Environmental experts, on the other hand, have warned that persistent rise in pollution levels is a serious threat to human health.

They have urged citizens to limit travel, wear protective masks when outdoors, and avoid physical activities, especially in the early morning hours when pollution is at its peak.

Reporter: Aqsa Shahid