Lahore, capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, has overtaken Delhi as the most polluted city in the world. As winter approaches in the subcontinent, a thick layer of smog continues to blanket the city and neighbouring regions, affecting the lives of millions of people. Lahore recorded a US Air Quality Index (USAQI) of 412 on Saturday morning -- categorised as "hazardous" -- with PM 2.5 levels as much as 56 times higher than the World Health Organisation's (WHO) safety benchmark, according to data from air quality monitoring platform IQAir.

On Friday, Lahore registered an AQI of 362, which is also considered hazardous. In some neighbourhoods, the pollution levels were even worse: 609 at Syed Maratib Ali Road, 611 in Shadman, and a staggering 690 in Shalimar area. Pakistan's meteorological

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