Lahore: Lahore ranked as the world’s most polluted major city on Friday morning as its air quality index (AQI) reached 167, according to air quality monitoring platform IQAir.

The reading placed Lahore’s air in the “unhealthy” category. Dhaka followed with an AQI of 164, while Cairo recorded 158. As IQAir’s rankings are updated hourly, Lahore’s position and AQI changed later in the day.

Karachi was the only other Pakistani city included in IQAir’s 125 city global ranking cited on Friday morning, standing at 34th with an AQI of 69.

IQAir said Lahore’s PM2.5 concentration was 15.2 times the World Health Organisation’s annual guideline value at the time of reporting. PM2.5 refers to fine airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter.

Air pollution and smog have affected Lahore in recent years, particularly around the winter period. Industrial emissions, vehicle pollution, crop residue burning and weather conditions are among the factors associated with the city’s air pollution.

Speaking to senior officers in Lahore on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the provincial government was taking measures to address environmental issues. She said smog levels had declined compared with previous years, while acknowledging that the problem remained.

Lahore had also topped IQAir’s global major city pollution ranking in January, when an AQI of 452 was reported.