Karachi, Lahore – country’s two largest cities have performed poorly on Global Air Quality Index (AQI) as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
As per details, Pakistan’s largest and most populated city Karachi ranks at number 10 at global AQI, whereas Lahore has ranked 4th as the city with the most polluted and poor air quality in the world.
According to Global AQI statistics, hazardous particle presence has been recorded at 194 and 167 for Lahore and Karachi respectively.
Pakistan’s other cities listed due to poor air quality include; Rawalpindi – 189, Raiwind – 170, Multan – 165.
An air quality index is used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. Public health risks increase as the AQI rises. Different countries have their own air quality indices, corresponding to different national air quality standards.
AQI score between 151-200 is termed ‘unhealthy’, whereas it is considered ‘harmful’ between 201-300, followed by ‘extremely hazardous’ if the AQI score is in excess of 300.
