Lahore was ranked the world’s most polluted city on Sunday, according to Swiss monitoring group IQAir, as thick smog engulfed Pakistan’s second largest city.
IQAir’s reading for Lahore was 237 at noon local time (0700 GMT) and labelled as ‘very unhealthy’, far above the ‘good’ air threshold of 0-50.
Despite the conditions, residents still gathered for Sunday morning cricket.
“We come to the ground for fresh air,” said local resident Mohammad Zubair. “If we have to wear masks here too, where will fresh air come from?“
The Punjab government has taken various steps including deploying anti-smog guns spraying water to curb pollution but it offers temporary relief only.
