Although the air quality level in Lahore was still “unhealthy”, it drastically improved from the “hazardous” level as the AQI US dropped from 318 to 189 on Sunday because of the artificial rain.

Lahore was ranked sixth in the list of most polluted major cities ranking with AQI at 9:40am. But medical experts continue to urge people to wear masks while going out.

As per the US AQI, a fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration of 60 micrograms per cubic meter in the air is “unhealthy” and can cause respiratory problems. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends an annual average of 10 for PM2.5.

The development comes after the country used the first ever artificial rain in Lahore to combat smog.

In the first experiment of its kind in the South Asian country, planes equipped with cloud seeding equipment flew over 10 areas of the city.

The “gift” was provided by the United Arab Emirates, caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters on Saturday.

“Teams from the UAE, along with two planes, arrived here about 10 to 12 days ago. They used 48 flares to create the rain,” he had said and described it as a “groundbreaking moment” in the city.

Lahore suffers the most from the toxic smog, choking the lungs of more than 11 million residents in Lahore during the winter season.

Levels of PM2.5 pollutants – cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs – were measured as hazardous in Lahore on Saturday at more than 66 times the WHO’s danger limits.

On Sunday, Naqvi was relieved to see the outcome of the artificial rain. “Finally Below 200 AlHamdullila,” he said in a post on X.

But the air quality level in Karachi rose to a hazardous level with AQI 313, making it the most polluted city in the world.

“PM2.5 concentration in Karachi is currently 52.5 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value,” according to the website. The polluted air released by transport contributed to Karachi’s air pollution.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecasted cold and dry weather in Karachi, adding that there was a possibility of increase in the severity of cold weather.

The temperature in the city was recorded at 16 degrees Celsius in the morning. Moreover, the maximum temperature was likely to be around 28 degrees Celsius.