Persistent fog, smog force motorway closures

LAHORE: Sections of the motorway were once again brought to a standstill on Tuesday morning as dense fog enveloped extensive areas of Punjab and Upper Sindh.

Motorway M-2, spanning from Lahore to Hiran Minar, M-4 from Sher Shah to Faisalabad, and M-5 from Sher Shah to Rohri were temporarily closed due to significantly reduced visibility, posing a grave risk to motorists.

Travel warning

In response to the challenging conditions, Motorway Police issued advisories urging the public to refrain from unnecessary travel, maintain a cautious speed, and employ fog lights when essential.

Smog situation

Simultaneously, there was a marginal improvement in air quality across Lahore and other cities.

However, Lahore, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 225, emerged as the second most polluted city in Pakistan, trailing only Peshawar with an AQI of 320.

Internationally, Lahore secured the fourth position in the ranking of the world’s most polluted cities, preceded by New Delhi, Dhaka, and Sarajevo in Bosnia Herzegovina. Notably, the AQI reached 432 over the US consulate, 395 over FAST University, 346 over Brevzon, 297 over The Mall, and 282 over Phase-8, DHA.

Lahore Weather

As temperatures continue to drop, Lahore recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 21 degrees Celsius.

Morning humidity levels were measured at 81 percent. Despite the challenging conditions, the Meteorological Office forecasts dry weather for the city in the next 24 hours.

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