Punjab’s Smog Visible from Space as Air Pollution Hits Record Highs

The city of Lahore and much of Punjab province have been engulfed in a severe smog crisis, with dense and toxic clouds now visible from space. Satellite imagery from NASA’s Worldview platform shows thick smog blanketing both northern Pakistan and neighboring northern India, including the cities of Lahore, Multan, and New Delhi, CNN reports. The satellite images reveal the extent of the pollution, with the green landscapes obscured by layers of gray and brown haze.

Lahore recently topped the global Air Quality Index (AQI) for the most polluted air, surpassing India’s New Delhi and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kinshasa, according to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. The AQI classified Lahore’s air quality as “very hazardous.”

Parallel to these alarming developments, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a warning on Tuesday about the severe health risks posed by Punjab’s polluted air. UNICEF stated that more than 11 million children under five years old are at heightened risk, as pollution has led to widespread hospitalizations in smog-affected cities, including many children.

“As smog continues to persist in Punjab province, I am extremely concerned about the well-being of young children who are forced to breathe polluted, toxic air,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, in a statement issued in Islamabad.

The crisis has led authorities in Pakistan to close schools and public spaces, with health warnings about the smog’s impact on tens of millions of people. Seasonal pollution spikes each winter, driven by a combination of agricultural burning, coal-fired power plants, vehicular emissions, and stagnant air. Lahore officials have described the current season’s smog levels as unprecedented, even by South Asian standards, where winter smog is an annual issue.

The growing crisis highlights the urgent need for policy measures to tackle pollution in Pakistan and India as cities struggle with some of the worst air quality globally.