Lahore topped the chart of the world's most polluted city for the second consecutive time in a week, highlighting the sluggish attitude of the government in dealing with the crisis.

The provincial capital recorded a 208 Air Quality Index (AQI), reported The Express Tribune.

The local AQI monitoring of the US embassy also showed the city's score at 252 that is deemed very unhealthy for all age groups, the newspaper reported.

Lahore was declared a polluted city on a day when a regional government shut down educational institutions.

A senior official of the environment protection and climate change department told The Express Tribune, "It is a horrible situation this year as we are again at the top of the list during the past week, while two days ago Lahore was the second most polluted city of the world."

The official said the residents of the city had experienced the worst air quality despite the schools, colleges and universities having remained closed since Friday and thousands of vehicles used for transporting the students had remained off the roads.