News And Current Affairs

PAKISTAN SMOG CRISIS IN LAHORE

LAHORE: The dangerous air haze has returned to Lahore after a short break, with the air quality index (AQI) hitting dangerous heights on Tuesday.

After five days of comparatively average air quality, the city saw a sharp increase, with a high AQI of 401 recorded at 9am, making it extremely dangerous to breathe.

The winter months in Lahore usually bring with them a drop in air quality, especially from October to February. Farmers in the larger Punjab region burn agricultural residues around this time, which adds to the haze. Changes in the weather make the issue worse by keeping pollutants in the air for extended periods of time.

The main causes of air pollution in Lahore include dust from building sites, burning of general garbage and agricultural residue, smoke from brick kilns, and emissions from vehicles and industries. Deforestation contributes significantly to the construction of new roads and buildings, among other infrastructure projects.

 There were notable differences in the quality of the air in different parts of the city. A Q.A. of 364 was reported by Fida Hussain House, along with 309 on Syed Maratib Ali Road, 282 at the CERP Office, 270 at Polo Ground Cantt, 270 at the US Consulate in Lahore, 267 at the Lahore American School, 259 at NetSol LHR2, 240 at Pakistan Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd, 236 at DHA Phase 8, and 231 at WWF Pakistan.

Experts recommend that the public be given easier access to real-time air quality data with more granularity in order to tackle the growing problem of air pollution.

People can take proactive steps to protect themselves and support group efforts to battle air pollution when they are aware of the pollution levels to which they are exposed.

It is determined that lowering vehicle and industrial emissions is essential to raising air quality. Urgent and concerted action is needed to address the underlying causes of air pollution and protect the health and well-being of city dwellers as the situation in Lahore gets worse.