LAHORE (Dunya News) - The Punjab capital, Lahore, remained in the grip of dense smog on Sunday morning with visiblity reduced to a few meters in the suburban areas.
The Environment Protection Department recorded Lahore’s average AQI at 753. It recorded the air quality index of DHA Phase 8 at 1,391, around the American Consulate at 860 while The Mall 806 and the Askari 10 area 725.
Meanwhile, AQI of Multan has been recorded at 527, while federal capital Islamabad's AQI is 226 and Rawalpindi has slightly worse at 248.
According to Swiss IQAir, the AQI of Lahore was recorded at 688 at around 9 in the morning amking it the most polluted city of the world. Indian capital Delhi was second with 254 AQI.
MOTORWAYS CLOSED DUE TO LOW VISIBILITY
Meanwhile, Motorways Police on Sunday closed the road at different sections due to dense smog.
According to Motorways Police spokesperson Syed Imran Ahmed section M2 from Lahore to Kot Momin has been closed since early Sunday due to fog and smog.
Motorway M4 has been closed from Pindi Bhatian to Abdul Hakeem while M5 from Multan to Sukkur, the spokesman said.
He advised road users to travel during the day - from 10 am to 6 pm - to avoid any untoward incident.
LAHORE - Dense smog on Barki Road reduced visibilty on Sunday morning
DEBILITATING EFFECTS ON HEALTH
On the other hand, dense smog has been causing helath problems, especialy to senior citizens and children. People have been facing problems like burning eyes, soar throat and difficulty in breathing.
The Gulab Devi Hospital reported twice the number of patients with medical conditions related to eyes, nose, ears and chest.
Citizens are being advised to wear masks, eyeglasses and ensure limit outdoor exposure.
MS Dr Hamid Hassan said more than 30,000 patients affected from smog visited hospital in October compared to 14,000 patients in the corresponding month last year.