Pakistan’s Lahore haze dilemma

Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, has been experiencing severe haze, with the highest PM2.5 concentration reaching 610 micrograms per cubic meter, far exceeding the safety line announced by the WHO. The local government implemented a “green blockade” policy, including banning traffic on some congested roads in the central city and suspending construction works, but the air pollution problem remains severe due to the large number of industrial enterprises and old brick kiln factories still emitting pollutants, as well as old car exhaust and rural straw burning.