Smog denies ‘breathing space’ to people in Lahore, Multan

LAHORE : There is no let-up in smog as Lahore – once known as the city of fresh air and conviviality – remained one of the worst polluted cities on Wednesday.

As the air quality amid grey pal of smog fluctuates, Lahore had an AQI of 499 around 10am – which came down from almost double the figure earlier in the day. The AQI of DHA touched an alarmingly high level of 900.

It was 647 at Ghazi Road Interchange and 425 at Johar Town.
The AQI of Multan, which hovered around 700 in the morning, dropped to 408.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) says westerly wave is expected to generate rain in parts of Punjab on Nov 15 and 16.

On Tuesday, smog situation worsened in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as poisonous smoke made it difficult to breathe for people, especially in Lahore, which was the worst polluted city in the world.

Early morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Lahore reached highly hazardous 968. However, the situation improved a bit around 10:30am as the Swiss IQAir measured the AQI of Lahore at 744.

RESTRICTIONS ON MARKETS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

The decision to close shops, shopping malls and markets in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala at 8pm was partially implemented despite sealing of shops by the district administrations.

The government also banned outdoor dining at restaurants, outdoor games, exhibitions and events from Nov 11 to 17.

The Punjab government also closed educational institutions in five more divisions to prevent children’s exposure to toxic air.

HOSPITALS FLOODED WITH PATIENTS

The poisonous smoke has compounded health problems of people in Lahore and elsewhere.

According to health department figures, more than 35,000 patients visited five major hospitals in Lahore with smog-related problems in the last few days.

The health officials reported that most of the visitors were children having complaints of dry cough, difficulty in breathing, pneumonia and chest infection.

In a report, UNICEF revealed that more than 11 million children under the age of five in Punjab are at risk due to highly polluted air.

Satellite images released by US space agency NASA showed dense smog enveloping Lahore and Multan last weekend. No roads and buildings could be seen due to smog.

NO ROOM FOR SMOKE-BELCHING FACTORIES

The Lahore High Court has already ordered demolition of smoke-belching factories.

Justice Shahid Karim, who has been issuing directives to curb smog for quite some time, issued the order on the petition of citizens including Haroon Farooq.

The court also ordered stringent action against those involved in burning crop residues or waste of houses and workplaces.

GREEN LOCKDOWN

The Punjab Environment Department in a major move to combat smog continues to enforce “green lockdown” in parts of Lahore.

Initially, the department issued a notification of the lockdown on Davies Road, Egerton Road, Durand Road and Kashmir Road, along with the areas from Shimla Hills to Gulshan Cinema and Abbott Road.

It later included more areas to control smog and deployed traffic wardens to keep three-wheelers and smoke-emitting vehicles away from ‘hotspots’.