Air quality worsened sharply across parts of northern India and Pakistan on Tuesday as the pre-winter smog season set in, leaving Lahore the world's most polluted city, CNA reported, citing Reuters. Early in the day Lahore's air quality index reached 447 on the IQAir scale, with fine particle levels about 60 times the World Health Organization's annual guideline.
Pakistani officials blamed falling temperatures and weak winds, and said they were cracking down on brick kilns and urging farmers not to burn crop residue. In Delhi, India's pollution control board rated the air very poor, and graded restrictions on polluting vehicles, construction and the use of coal and firewood in restaurants came into force on Monday. With the Deepavali festival due at the weekend, India's Supreme Court has limited fireworks to low-polluting types for three hours on each day.
Source: CNA