Smog continued to blanket several parts of Punjab on Saturday, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reporting hazardous and unhealthy air quality at multiple monitoring stations, while the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast largely dry conditions, diminishing hopes of respite from the persistent pollution. The EPA's latest monitoring data, updated at 6pm, showed considerable variation in air quality across the provincial capital. Wagha Border recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 500, classified as hazardous, while Barki Road reported an ‘unhealthy’ reading of 288. Other monitoring stations in Lahore also recorded elevated pollution levels. Read: Air pollution costs 6.5% of GDP Egerton Road registered an AQI score of 175, followed by Shahdara at 173, Multan Road at 167, Kahna Nau at 165, Safari Park at 160 and DHA Phase 6 at 159. These readings were classified as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’. Compared to the rest of the city, Punjab University and GT Road recorded comparatively lower scores of 149 and 148, respectively, classified as ‘moderate’. The EPA's pollutant measurements also showed elevated particulate matter concentrations at several locations. PM2.5 levels reached 108.3µg/m³ at Shahdara, 105.5µg/m³ at Egerton Road, 99.9µg/m³ at Multan Road and 97µg/m³ at Kahna Nau, while Wagha Border recorded a PM10 concentration of 683.5µg/m³. The figures highlight the uneven distribution of air pollution across Lahore, with air quality varying considerably between different parts of the city. Meanwhile, Lahore's US AQI reading on IQAir's live monitoring platform stood at 275 on Saturday morning, improving to 172 by the evening, although air quality remained in the unhealthy category. Station-level readings showed an AQI of 322 in Allama Iqbal Town, 312 in Cantonment and 298 along Burki Road near Paragon City. Read more: Air pollution reaches alarming levels At 10pm today, Lahore ranked fifth on IQAir's live list of the world's most polluted major cities, with a US AQI reading of 204. Kuwait City topped the list with 287 score, followed by Kolkata at 264, Delhi at 219 and Kabul at 213. It is worth noting that the differences between IQAir and EPA readings reflect variations in monitoring networks, station locations, AQI calculation methods and reporting periods; nevertheless, the monitoring stations bear the consistent outlook that the air quality across Punjab is largely poor. According to the EPA's latest provincial AQI-based city ranking, Vehari topped the list with a reading of 369, followed by Multan at 354 and Sahiwal at 329. Gujranwala recorded an AQI of 323, Sheikhupura 284, Kot Addu 271, Dera Ghazi Khan 270, Pakpattan 247, Nankana Sahib 238 and Wazirabad 233. Although Lahore did not feature among the 10 cities in the latest provincial ranking, station-level readings indicated that several parts of the provincial capital continued to experience unhealthy air quality. In its daily forecast issued on Saturday, the PMD said dry weather was expected in most districts of Punjab, with smog likely at isolated places in Narowal, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Faisalabad, Kot Addu, Multan, Bahawalpur and adjoining areas. The department forecast a maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius in Lahore. Similar dry weather was forecast for Sunday, although fog or smog was likely at isolated places during the morning. 🌤️Weekly Weather Outlook ( 07 - 13 November), 2026.#PMD #weatherupdate #Rain #hotweather #Islamabad #punjab #Sindh #Balochistan #kpk #kashmir #gilgitbaltistan #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/k8yvlEXtRX — Pak Met Department محکمہ موسمیات (@pmdgov) November 7, 2026 The PMD's weekly outlook also warned of smog at isolated places in north-eastern and southern Punjab over the weekend. Although rain and thunderstorms were forecast in parts of the country from today, including the Potohar region, Murree and Galiyat, the outlook did not indicate widespread rainfall over Punjab that could provide immediate relief. The Punjab AQI dashboard has advised residents to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities when pollution levels are high. It has also recommended that vulnerable groups check air quality before going outdoors, wear masks, keep children indoors and avoid travelling through areas with elevated pollution levels. Older people and those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions have been advised to take particular care during periods of poor air quality. The dashboard also recommends that people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cardiovascular disease consult their doctors about mask use.