Citizens grapple with smog amid sporadic remedial measures
Pakistan
Lahore, adjacent areas have been in the grip of smog for last one week
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Smog persists in several parts of Punjab, especially Lahore, which remained the second worst polluted city in the world on Friday.
The average Air Quality Control (AQI) index in the city was recorded at 209 on Friday. It was 253 at Gulberg’s Syed Maratab Ali Road, 247 at Johar Town and 29 at DHA.
Lahore and adjacent areas have been in the grip of smog for the last one week, with authorities claiming that pollution emanates from New Delhi which also is one of the worst-hit cities in the world.
Read more: Punjab govt takes remedial steps to combat smog
The AQI fluctuated in Lahore in the past one week after going past highly hazardous 700 mark in several parts, prompting the Punjab government to change school timings and making use of masks mandatory.
NO ROOM FOR SMOKE-BELCHING FACTORIES
In a written verdict during the hearing of a case on Thursday, the Lahore High Court 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
A day earlier (Wednesday), the Punjab Environment Department in a major move to combat smog enforced “green lockdown” in parts of Lahore.
The department issued a notification of the lockdown on Davies Road, Egerton Road, Durand Road and Kashmir Road, along with the areas from Shimla Pahari to Gulshan Cinema and Abbott Road.
Additionally, the area from Shimla Pahari to the railway station and Empress Road were declared hotspots, and Queen Mary Road and its surroundings also were marked as polluted zones.
Traffic wardens were deployed on these roads to keep three-wheelers and smoke-emitting vehicles away from ‘hotspots’.
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz underscored the need for 'climate diplomacy' with India to tackle the scourge of smog.
She said at a Diwali event in Lahore that Pakistan must have diplomacy with India to fight smog.
“I am thinking of writing a letter to the Indian Punjab chief minister. This is not just a political issue but a humanitarian issue," she said.
“Winds don’t know there’s a border in the middle,” she remarked.
HEALTH CRISIS AND ADVISORY
Several hospitals in the city reported increasing number of cases of respiratory and allied complaints.
Medical experts have advised people to take precautions to avoid flu, skin allergy, eyesore and other suchlike diseases.
Environment experts say the use of substandard fuels such as plastic and rubber, especially in the cottage industry around Bund Road, contributes significantly to the deteriorating air quality.
Meanwhile, a ban has been imposed on use of fireworks in Lahore till Jan 31, 2025.
