Pakistan mulls artificial rain after Lahore declared world's most polluted city
Lahore | X/@thetanveeriqbal
Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore held the first rank on a real-time list of the world's most polluted cities,with a US air quality index (AQI) of 193, according to Swiss group IQAir, which categorised the air quality as "hazardous".
This comes as dense smogengulfed the city on Wednesday (Oct 23) morning.
A top official from Pakistan'sEnvironment Protection Agency, Imran Hamid Sheikh, said pollution levels could have been worse if ongoing government efforts were not in place.
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According to an advisory issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday (Oct 22), foggy and smoggy conditions are common from November to mid-December as the country enters its winter months. Air quality deteriorates in cooler months, as temperature inversion traps pollution closer to the ground.
Lahore and neighbouring India's capital, New Delhi, are among the most polluted cities in the world.
Lahore is the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, whose chief minister has called for “climate diplomacy” with India to combat pollution.
Artificial rain to the rescue?
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On Tuesday, Pakistan's Punjab announced it has planned artificial rain to combat the rise insmog levels after Lahore was declared the most polluted city inthe world.
In a press conference, the city's Information Minister Azma Bokhari said, “Yesterday, Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world. We have taken several initiatives to address the matter and now we are planning for artificial rain in the city.”
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It would be the second time that Lahore would carry out cloud seeding for artificial rain after December 2023.
However, no date has been announcedfor artificial rain.
What about Indian cities?
India's capital New Delhi followedLahore with a US AQI of 186. Meanwhile, Siwan, a district in the Indian state of Bihar ranked thirdon the list with a US AQI of 137.
(With inputs from agencies)