Divided by borders, united by smog: Delhi’s ‘very poor’ AQI, Multan hits 2,000

Air Pollution in India and Pakistan: Across South Asia, hazardous air quality has become an urgent concern. In Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, smog levels have surged to alarming heights, prompting the provincial government to impose drastic measures, including the closure of schools, amusement parks, and museums.
Meanwhile, Delhi, India’s capital, continues to battle persistent pollution, with dangerous air quality levels choking the city for the ninth consecutive day.
In Multan, the air quality index (AQI) hit a staggering 2,135 between 8 am and 9 am on Friday, a level far beyond safe limits. This AQI reading is more than six times the “hazardous” threshold of 300.
“The concentration of PM2.5 — fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — was 947 micrograms per cubic metre, which is 189.4 times above the WHO guideline,” reported IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring service.
While Pakistan struggles with unprecedented levels of smog, Delhi, is not far behind in its battle against pollution. The city’s air quality remains in the ‘very poor’ category for the ninth consecutive day following Diwali, with the AQI recorded at 360 on Saturday morning.
Other major parts of Delhi, including Bawana recorded an AQI of 409, Alipur at 387, Anand Vihar at 393, Dwarka Sector 8 at 362, IGI Airport at 344, Dilsahd Garden at 220, ITO at 359, Mundka at 377, Najafgarh at 379, New Moti Bagh at 411, Patparganj at 389, RK Puram at 376 and Wazirpur at 399, as per the data of SAFAR.
“A thick layer of smog has engulfed Delhi’s most populated areas, leaving citizens to cope with the hazardous air. The situation has worsened since Diwali, with high pollution levels continuing into mid-November,” a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) stated.
In Pakistan’s Punjab province, which is home to major cities like Lahore, Gujranwala, and Multan, authorities have announced a 10-day closure of schools and public spaces. From November 8 to 17, educational institutions, amusement parks, and museums in affected districts will remain closed as the region battles a thick blanket of toxic smog.
The hazardous air quality has forced the Punjab government to implement this shutdown across several cities, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, and Sialkot. The affected districts also include Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, and Toba Tek Singh, among others.
Lahore, which has been battling poor air quality for weeks, became the world’s most polluted city on Thursday, according to IQAir. The city recorded an AQI of 784, while its levels have repeatedly surpassed 1,000 in recent days, a figure deemed life-threatening by health experts.
Lahore’s AQI peaked at 1,165 on Wednesday, making it one of the most polluted urban centres globally. Prolonged exposure has already led to a surge in hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, and Gujranwala.
Both countries share a troubling commonality — the rapid deterioration of air quality in major urban centres. While Lahore recorded an AQI reading of 1,165 on Wednesday, Peshawar, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi also saw ‘hazardous’ air quality, with AQI levels hovering around 600-700.
In Delhi, similar readings have emerged. The air quality index (AQI) in several parts of the city has exceeded 350, which is categorised as “hazardous” according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.