Pakistan, Oct. 2 -- Lahore ranked as the world's most polluted major city on Friday morning. The city recorded an AQI of 167 on IQAir's live global ranking. Dhaka followed with 164, while Cairo recorded 158 during the same period. Meanwhile, Punjab authorities intensified anti-smog operations across several pollution hotspots in Lahore.

Later, provincial authorities recorded Lahore's AQI at 236. Officials linked the worsening conditions to weak winds and lower temperatures. They expected winds to strengthen later in the day. Stronger winds could help disperse pollutants and improve air quality across the city.

The Punjab Environment Protection recorded an AQI of 500 on Multan Road at 6am. At the same time, Punjab University recorded 345...