Pakistan ’s smog situation has gone from bad to worse as air pollution rose to a record in Lahore. Sensors tracked by the Swiss monitor IQAir recorded an air quality index of 1,300 in the country’s second-largest city at 5 p.m. local time, the highest this year and well beyond a level of 50 that is deemed safe.

Every year, Delhi and northern states battle hazardous air during the winter months of October to January due to plummeting temperatures, smoke, dust, low wind speed, vehicular emissions and crop stubble burning. This time, experts say that the condition is likely to get worse in the coming days.

On Wednesday, the national capital's air quality took a serious turn for the worse, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) skyrocketing to a staggering 418. This alarming number puts the capital squarely in the 'severe' category,

Delhi surpassed Lahore as the world's most polluted city, with its air quality index reaching a 'severe' 418. The smog, a mix of fog and smoke, reduced visibility, causing flight diversions. Low wind speed,

Delhi overtook Pakistan ’s Lahore as the world’s most polluted city in Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings, with an air quality index (AQI) score of more than 1,000, which is considered “hazardous”, but India ’s pollution authority said the AQI was around 350.