• Authorities say low-speed winds carrying pollutants from the east, local factors will aggravate situation
• Anti-smog guns, sprinklers deployed to counter pollution
• Lahore emerges as third-worst polluted city, behind New Delhi and Kolkata
LAHORE: Smog is set to intensify across Lahore and other parts of the province due to a combination of local emissions and pollutants carried by low-speed winds from India, following Diwali[1] celebrations, the Punjab government said on Monday.
The provincial capital of Punjab ranked as the third most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality, according to air quality monitoring platform IQAir[2].
Around 8pm, the air quality index (AQI) reading for Lahore stood at a ‘very unhealthy’ reading of 182, trailing Kolkata (203) and New Delhi with the highest reading of 213.
In a bid to combat smog, the provincial government had started water sprinkling operations[3] from Sunday night and activated anti-smog guns in the most affected areas.
In Lahore, these measures were deployed across the city, including Karim Block, Allama Iqbal Town, Multan Road, Ravi Bridge, Shahdara Flyover, GT Road, Thokar Niaz Baig, and Upper Mall.
Besides local pollutants, winds blowing from India are also likely to play a role in worsening the situation over the week.
The Environment Protection Department said winds blowing from New Delhi and other parts of India at a speed of 4-7km/h are moving toward Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan.
Similarly, the southern districts of Multan, Bahawalpur, and Bahawalnagar will also be affected due to pollutants from across the border in the wake of Diwali festivities that feature fireworks.
The Punjab Smog Monitoring Centre reported that Lahore’s AQI is expected to remain between 210 and 230 on Tuesday (today), with high levels of pollution during early morning and night hours. However, slight improvement is expected between 1pm and 5pm. Due to low wind speeds (1-8km/h) and a lack of rainfall, harmful particles are likely to remain suspended in the air.
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and other officials urged citizens to play their role, stating that “every citizen’s role in preventing and reducing smog brings about significant change and success”.
Ms Aurangzeb directed the authorities to take precautionary measures, such as masks for motorcycle riders and covering construction sites and material transport vehicles. She also suggested keeping doors and windows shut.
83 detained
Meanwhile, the Lahore police said it arrested 83 persons and registered 77 cases as part of its ongoing anti-smog operation. According to the Lahore police spokesperson, the arrests targeted a range of pollution sources, adding that 68 people were detained for smoke emissions from factories, kilns, and vehicles, nine for burning tyres, plastic, and shopping bags, and six for burning crop residue.
The crackdown was spread across the city, with the highest number of arrests (42) made in the Saddar Division, followed by the City Zone (14), and Cantt (13). Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana said the Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s camera network was being used to trace environmental polluters.
Toxic haze in Delhi
Meanwhile, across the border, New Delhi remained shrouded in a thick, toxic haze on Monday as air pollution levels soared to more than 16 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum, reported AFP. New Delhi and its sprawling metropolitan region — home to more than 30 million people — are regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals, with acrid smog blanketing the skyline each winter.
The Indian Supreme Court relaxed this month a blanket ban on fireworks over Diwali to allow the use of the less-polluting “green firecrackers” — designed to emit fewer particulates.
The ban was widely ignored in past years.
On Monday, levels of PM2.5 — cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream — hit 248 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the city, according to monitoring organisation IQAir.
The government’s Commission of Air Quality Management said air quality is expected to further deteriorate in the coming days.
It also implemented a set of measures to curb pollution levels, including asking authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply to reduce the use of diesel generators.
City authorities have also said they will trial cloud seeding by aeroplanes for the first time over Delhi this month, the practice of firing salt or other chemicals into clouds to induce rain to clear the air.
With input from AFP, Reuters
Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2025