The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of pollution in the air, with higher numbers indicating greater health risks. Levels above 300 are considered dangerous.
“Stuff I could never even imagine, going beyond 2,000 Air Quality Index (AQI). We’re at 2,500 to 2,600,” says Ahmad Rafay Alam, a Pakistani environmental lawyer and activist. “And it’s not only a Lahore-based problem. It’s a Kabul-to-Calcutta problem. A yearlong, regional, public health emergency,” he adds.
“While we tend to think it’s seasonal, it also isn’t, because the things causing air pollution today are the same things causing air pollution in June. It’s just that hot air rises in June, and you have the monsoon, so for most of the year, winds and rain dissipate the air pollution.”
Choked by a mix of vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, brick kiln fumes and residue from crop burning, Lahore has earned the unfortunate distinction of being one of the world’s most polluted cities.