Air high quality in Pakistan has reached alarming ranges, with Multan recording an unprecedented Air Quality Index (AQI) studying surpassing 2,000, reported Dawn. The deteriorating air high quality has prompted the provincial authorities to shut parks and museums till November 17, as air pollution ranges throughout main cities in Punjab have reached report highs.
On November 8, between 8 am and 9 am, Multan, the most important metropolis in southern Punjab, registered an AQI of two,135, in accordance with Swiss air high quality monitor IQAir. The focus of PM2.5 — fantastic particulate matter that poses important well being dangers — was measured at 947 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 189.4 occasions larger than the World Health Organization’s really helpful restrict.
In response to the disaster, Multan’s Deputy Commissioner, Waseem Hamid Sindhu, has imposed a ‘smart lockdown’, closing markets by 8 pm and directing site visitors police to take strict motion in opposition to autos emitting smoke. Authorities are additionally focusing on sources of air pollution, together with stubble burning and unlawful brick kilns that function with out environmentally pleasant “zigzag” know-how.
Multan shouldn’t be alone in its wrestle. Many cities throughout Pakistan are blanketed by thick smog, severely disrupting every day life and prompting officers to implement measures resembling “forced lockdowns” to handle the state of affairs. Lahore, house to 13 million residents, has been grappling with hazardous air high quality for over every week. The metropolis’s AQI has continuously surpassed 1,000 this month — something over 300 is deemed hazardous.
In response, native authorities have closed colleges, suggested employees to remain house, and inspired individuals to stay indoors. A “green lockdown” has been enforced, which incorporates banning motorcycle rickshaws, heavy autos, and motorcycle parking in smog hotspots. Additionally, Lahore’s High Court has ordered markets within the province to shut by 8 pm every day, with full closures on Sundays. Parks and zoos have additionally been shut till November 17, BBC reported.
Satellite imagery from NASA has proven the extent of the smog and pinpointed a number of hearth sources within the area, spanning from Delhi to Lahore, the report added.
Meanwhile, officers in Punjab have blamed wind patterns from India for exacerbating the air air pollution. Raja Jahangir Anwar, Secretary of the Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EPCCD), instructed Dawn {that a} cross-border wind phenomenon is bringing heavy smog to south Punjab cities like Bahawalpur, Multan, and Rajanpur. This “wind pool” is believed to have entered from Bikaner and Jaipur in Rajasthan, which borders the area, the officers mentioned.
In Lahore, a major contributor to the air pollution is the exhaust from the town’s 5 million motorbikes, together with tens of millions of different autos. The Lahore High Court has recognized automobile emissions as a main reason for the smog, in accordance with a report by Associated Press.
Industrial air pollution from coal-fired brick kilns on the town’s outskirts additional compounds the air high quality disaster. Together, these components are creating an environmental emergency that has pressured authorities to scramble for options.
