LAHORE: Lahore continues to remain on top of the list of the most polluted cities in the world today having the worst air quality.
According to the Air Quality Index, Lahore has been ranked first in the list with 453 reading, while Indian capital city New Delhi remained second and Kolkata ranked third in the AQI list.
Fog engulfed Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and poor visibility affected flight operations. Most incoming flights were diverted to Islamabad, Airport Manager said.
“International flight QR 628, coming from Doha to Lahore, was also diverted to Islamabad,” airport official said.
“Flight operations will be brought to normal routine after improvement in the visibility,” he added.
According to the reports of international media, burning of crop residue and garbage in northern Indian states causes dangerous hike in the environmental pollution in the region.
The AQI is calculated on the basis of five categories of pollution: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI rating between 201 to 300 is more harmful and AQI over 300 is termed extremely toxic.
According to experts, increase in air pollution used to be recorded in the winter. A change in the wind speed, wind direction and sliding minimum temperature increases air pollution.
