The smog in Lahore has reached dangerous levels, but inaccurate air quality index (AQI) data is obscuring the real situation.
Punjab’s Environmental Protection Department is primarily collecting data from cleaner areas, ignoring pollution hotspots in industrial and lower-income regions, making the city’s overall AQI unreliable.
Key monitoring stations like Punjab University, FC College Canal Road, and the US Consulate show hazardous pollution levels, while industrial zones such as Mehmood Booti and Sundar Industrial Estate, along with major roads like GT Road and Jail Road, remain unmonitored.