As per Punjab’s Smog Update of November; Smog burns throats and stings eyes on the streets of Lahore, the second-biggest city in Pakistan. Few people can afford to install air purifiers in their homes. That mitigates the harmful particles that enter through windows and doors.
Lahore, a 14 million-person city on the Indian border that is teeming with manufacturers, has seen record-breaking pollution levels this month.
Punjab’s major cities have closed their schools until November 17.With future smog update to be shared in an effort to reduce children’s exposure to pollution.
Pakistan has consistently scored more than 1,000 on the worldwide Air Quality Index Scale. Which defines an index value of 300 or higher as “hazardous” to health.
Last Monday, the Smog Update: AQI level in Multan, a city of several million people located about 350 kilometers distant, surpassed 2,000.It is a startling height that the city’s disbelieving citizens had never witnessed before.
Until November 17, all parks, zoos, playgrounds, historical sites, museums, and recreational spaces will remain closed. Additionally, Lahore’s “hot spots” prohibit the operation of eateries using unfiltered grills. Also rickshaws with two-stroke motors that emit pollutants.
A Reuters image depicts cars on a Multan highway in the midst of haze on November 8.
With the lowest models costing about $90 and the additional expense of changing the filters every few months. This is due to the high levels of pollution, air purifiers are considered a luxury for the majority of families.
Every winter, a combination of low-grade fuel pollutants from automobiles and industry, made worse by the burning of agricultural stubble, covers the city. Confined by slow-moving winds and colder temperatures.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution can cause lung cancer, heart disease, and other respiratory conditions.
It is especially harsh on young children, infants, and the elderly.
On November 10, a man in Multan walks down a road with a scarf over his face to protect it from smog. — Reuters
In an attempt to combat the haze, the Punjab government experimented with artificial rain last year. This year, vehicles equipped with water cannons sprayed the streets, but to no avail.
To triage patients, clinics across the province have set up special smog counters; on Tuesday. Hospitals in Lahore alone admitted 900 patients.
Many people, usually young men, children, and the elderly, who have inhaled the poisonous air while riding motorcycles. Arrive with red eyes and coughing or labored breathing.
We advise people to use masks and refrain from going outside. We advise them—especially kids—not to put their hands in their eyes,” she continues.
Punjab has had PM2.5 concentrations for days that are dozens of times higher than what the WHO considers acceptable.
As a climate activist, Dr. Alia Haider is advocating for awareness campaigns to educate patients about the hazards of smog.
Header Image: On November 11, in Lahore, where pollution has reached record levels this month, pedestrians stroll down a road covered in dense haze. — AFP
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