There appears to be no respite in sight for the people of Lahore from smog, at least in near future, as the city, with the air quality index (AQI) recorded at 404 on Saturday, again emerged as the most polluted city in the world followed by Indian capital New Delhi where the AQI stood at 308, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Areas of Lahore such as Civil Secretariat, Shadman, Gulberg, Lower Mall and Iqbal Town were the worst-affected.
To make matters worse, the Met Office said there was no chance of rain in the provincial capital during the next few days.
It added that the maximum temperature would touch the 31 degrees Celsius mark in the afternoon, while it would remain 18 degrees Celsius on the minimum side.
The situation was no different in other cities of the Punjab either as people experienced difficulties in breathing in Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and other urban centers due to an extremely poor air quality, prompting doctors to advise them to wear facemasks before stepping out of their homes.
On the other hand, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), in it alert, said that dense smog would continue to engulf most of cities of the province from November to mid-December.
And despite tall claims made by the provincial government that it is taking steps to control smog, crops residue continues to be burnt in villages.
Karachi emerges as seventh most polluted city
Karachi, with AQI recorded at 154, was at the seventh spot on the list of the cities with worst air quality.
The weather department said that the maximum temperature in the port city would go up to 39 degrees Celsius, while it would remain 21 degrees Celsius on the minimum side.
On Saturday morning, winds were blowing in the city from east at a speed of three kilometers per hour, while humidity was recorded at 40 per cent.
Reporters: Faran Yamin and Ramsha Ismael