'Remarkable success': Anti-smog guns slash Lahore's Kahna 'AQI from 666 to 170'

LAHORE: Anti-smog guns lowered Kahna’s Air Quality Index (AQI) from 666 to 170 in the first operation of its kind in Punjab, provincial senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday.

Taking to her X handle, the Punjab's senior minister called the experiment a “remarkable success” in their environmental efforts.

Pakistan regularly ranks among the world's most polluted countries, with Lahore often the most polluted megacity between November and February.

Lahore's 14 million residents spent six months breathing concentrations of PM2.5 — tiny particles that can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream — at levels 20 times or more than recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Following CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif's directive, the first anti-smog gun operation in Kahna, Lahore, has reduced the Air Quality Index (AQI) from 666 to 170.”

She added that the 70% decrease in air pollution has been scientifically analysed and confirmed by the advanced environmental monitoring system.

“Our commitment to utilising modern technology to combat smog and safeguard citizens' health remains absolute,” she added.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Environment Protection Force said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, the provincial government officially tested anti-smog guns in Lahore's Kahna to improve the air quality.

Kahna recorded a 70% reduction in air pollution following the use of anti-smog guns, the spokesperson added.