Lahore tops world pollution list again as smog moves a Test match

Smog covered Pakistan’s skies again on Wednesday, and it has already forced a change to the cricket calendar. IQAir ranked Lahore the most polluted of the world’s major cities, with an air quality index (AQI) of 425 between 11am and noon. Any reading above 300 is classed as hazardous. Dawn reported that the Punjab government’s own monitors showed worse in two other districts: Muzaffargarh and Nankana Sahib were both at 500 in the same hour.

A Test match moves

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday that the second Test against Sri Lanka, due to be played in Lahore from November 17 to 21, will be held in Rawalpindi on the same dates. PCB spokesman Amir Mir said on X that the change was because of prevailing weather conditions and worsening air quality. Lahore has now had severe smog for about 10 days, with its AQI reportedly touching 600.

Both Tests are therefore at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. On Wednesday’s third day of the first Test there, Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis both scored centuries as the visitors reached 404 for 4 against Pakistan’s 434 for 9 declared, as we reported in our match report from day two. The series belongs to the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.

What the numbers mean

The AQI is a scale that turns pollution readings into a single number. IQAir, which supplies the global rankings, treats a score above 300 as hazardous, a level at which everyone, not only people with lung or heart conditions, can be affected. Readings of 425 and 500 are well above that line.

Smog in Punjab builds up every winter, as cold, still air traps smoke and exhaust close to the ground. Our earlier reports tied the worst days to fireworks smoke around Diwali and to stubble fires, and the Punjab government has put anti-smog squads in the field. See our reports on Lahore’s anti-smog squads and the crop-burning crackdown, and on Monday on Lahore’s ranking as the most polluted major city at AQI 590 after Diwali smoke and stubble fires. Dawn’s pictures from Wednesday showed Lahore, Multan and Karachi under haze, with people exercising, walking and commuting in it.

How to read the index

AQI range	Category
0 to 50	Good
51 to 100	Moderate
101 to 150	Unhealthy for sensitive groups
151 to 200	Unhealthy
201 to 300	Very unhealthy
Above 300	Hazardous

This is the standard scale that IQAir’s rankings follow. Against it, Wednesday’s 425 in Lahore is well inside the hazardous band, and the 500 readings in Muzaffargarh and Nankana Sahib are at the top of the scale.

What residents can do

Health guidance for smog is fairly standard. On hazardous days, people are advised to avoid hard exercise outdoors, keep windows closed, and wear a well-fitting mask if they must go out. Children, older people and those with asthma or heart disease need extra care. These are general precautions, not instructions from the Punjab government.

Why it matters

When a Test series is moved because the air is unsafe, it shows that smog is no longer only a health story. It now affects schools, flights, roads, events and, in this case, a national sporting fixture. Moving matches keeps players safe, but people in Lahore cannot move away from the air. The question for the province is whether the measures taken so far, such as the squads and the crackdown on crop burning, are working in time for next winter.

What to watch

• Daily readings from IQAir and the Punjab Environmental Protection Department.
• Whether any other events in Lahore are moved or postponed.
• Whether rain or a change in wind clears the air in the coming days.
• Any new orders on schools, markets or industry from the Punjab government.