Lahore ranked first on IQAir’s list of the world’s most polluted cities on the morning of November 1, with an air quality index (AQI) reading of 420. The city had already recorded a citywide reading of 253 on October 31, with Burki Road at 520 and Gulberg at 457. Readings above 300 are classed as hazardous.
Schools in Lahore stopped outdoor activities during the week as the smog worsened. As of Friday, however, the Punjab government had not announced school closures.
The latest spike sits on top of a far longer record of poor air. A report by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative puts Lahore’s annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) above 110 micrograms per cubic metre — more than 22 times the World Health Organization guideline of 5. The same report links air pollution across Pakistan to about 128,000 premature deaths a year and to 3.9 years cut from average life expectancy.
Within Lahore, the report attributes PM2.5 mainly to transport, at 35 per cent, followed by industry at 28 per cent and brick kilns at 17 per cent.
Environment teams have stepped up inspections in recent weeks. Between September 28 and October 27, they inspected 11,580 brick kilns, demolishing 197 and sealing 163, and 6,650 industrial sites, sealing 191. Fines of about Rs69 million were imposed over the same period.
Sources: IQAir, via Probashir Diganta, November 1, 2026; Dawn; The Nation; Dunya.
