The smog is not only affecting Pakistan; northern India is also experiencing similar conditions, as shown in the NASA Worldview images reported by CNN. Cities like Lahore and Multan are enveloped in dark haze, obscuring streets and buildings.

NASA’s satellite images clearly depict Lahore and New Delhi shrouded in dense smog, devoid of green spaces.

According to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, Lahore has become the city with the worst air quality in the world, topping the air quality index (AQI) rankings, while New Delhi and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo follow in second and third places, respectively. Lahore’s air quality has been classified as very hazardous.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a warning about the severe health risks posed by the polluted air in Punjab, particularly for over 11 million children under five.

Hundreds of people, including many children, have been hospitalized in the affected cities, with pollution levels so high that they are visible from space.

The UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, expressed deep concern for young children exposed to toxic air in a statement from Islamabad.

Additionally, the pollution crisis has led Pakistani authorities to close schools and public spaces to safeguard the health of millions. Each winter, pollution levels in this region escalate due to a combination of agricultural waste burning, emissions from coal-fired power plants, traffic, and stagnant weather conditions.

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Officials in Lahore have described this season’s smog as unprecedented, despite the annual challenges posed by hazardous air quality in major South Asian cities.