What happened:
On Tuesday morning, Karachi was ranked at the top of the most polluted cities list, as a result of the hazardous value the city’s air achieved on the Air Quality Index (AQI). Karachi was on top of the list with a particulate matter reading of 351 this morning. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution , an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality. After 11am in the morning , Bishkek and Delhi with AQI 347 and 272 respectively, crossed Karachi. Whereas, Karachi’s AQI was at 231, which is still harmful. However, the southwestern winds blowing from the sea may work as a filter for Karachi’s polluted air.
The background:
A high AQI index is extremely hazardous to human health and can cause serious respiratory issues. Before Karachi, Lahore was at the top of most polluted cities list and faced smog crisis, due to which the provincial disaster management authority in Punjab sealed 613 brick kilns in an effort to curb air pollution.