LAHORE: Following social media outcry over disruptions in the air quality monitoring system, the Punjab government clarified on Friday that the stations have been “operating without interruption” across Lahore.

Secretary of the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EPCCD), Silwat Saeed, admitted that a technical glitch caused a delay in data transmission to the public dashboard.

The official regretted the 12-hour delay from 3am on 30 October to 3pm on 31 October 2025, adding that the missing data has been uploaded on aqi.punjab.gov.pk.

The AQI monitors, Silwat added, continued to collect data, which has since been successfully retrieved and incorporated into the database.

“Neither the monitors were shut down nor was the data lost for the period,” the official said. 

“EPCCD is committed to measuring the air quality of major cities of Punjab by measuring six air pollutants with regulatory-grade monitors and disseminating to the public without manipulation and lag,” Silwat emphasised.

The issue was first raised by environment expert Dawar Hameed Butt, who alleged that the EPCCD has turned off monitoring stations in Lahore, especially the ones in the more polluted North and East of the city.

The expert added that the ones left on were still “Beyond Index”. 

“These are PAS officers, PhDs and ‘educated’ staff, and they think closing their eyes will solve the problem,” Hameed said, adding that absolute failure is unfolding now.

Later, more social media users commented on the matter, blaming the provincial government for deliberately turning the monitors off to hide failure.

However, Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb rebuffed these claims, saying the error was due to a technical glitch.

On Wednesday, Lahore once again topped the list of the world’s most polluted major cities, according to Swiss air quality monitor IQAir.

At around 10:30am, Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 563, placing it in the “Hazardous” category — far beyond the levels considered safe for breathing. 

The city’s main pollutant, PM2.5, stood at 357 µg/m³, which is 71.4 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) annual guideline value.

The authorities in Punjab have blamed the issue on air coming from India and other parts, which is affecting the air quality in various parts of the province.

The toxic haze has left much of Punjab and northern India shrouded for days, reducing visibility and triggering widespread health complaints such as throat irritation, coughing, and breathing difficulties.

Public health experts have advised residents to limit outdoor activities and wear protective masks when necessary.

The severe air quality coincides with the onset of winter, when cooler temperatures, stagnant winds, and emissions from vehicles, factories, and crop burning trap pollutants close to the ground across the plains of Punjab. 

Every winter, a mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by seasonal crop burn-off by farmers, blankets much of Punjab.

Breathing toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the WHO warning that strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases can be triggered by prolonged exposure.