Major urban centres of Punjab continued to choke under dense smog on Saturday, with Faisalabad recorded as the most polluted city in the province, registering 578 air particulate metres.

According to global air-quality monitoring platforms, Bahawalpur posted an AQI reading of 352, while Lahore, at 257, ranked third globally on the World Air Quality Index.

However, data from the Punjab Environment Department showed Lahore as the most polluted city in the province with an AQI of 377, followed by Faisalabad at 345 and Multan at 338.