Islooites breathe fresh air amidst four-day holidays

Pak-EPA says hazardous pollutants recorded within safe limits as vehicles go off roads

ISLAMABAD:

The air quality of the federal capital on Thursday was recorded healthy after a persistent decline in vehicular emissions due to local holidays for the past four days in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

According to the data released by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), the particulate of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), which is a hazardous ambient air pollutant causing chronic respiratory diseases and premature deaths, was recorded within safe limits and on average below 30 microgrammes per cubic meter which was a 24-hour mean value.

The air pollution in the capital was mainly derived from vehicular emissions, garbage or leaf-burning at certain sites, industrial emissions, and brick kilns falling in its far vicinity, an official of the Pak-EPA said.

The PM2.5 was a health-damaging air pollutant directly impacting lungs and causing other serious health complications during extreme prevalence in the atmosphere, she said.

The Pak-EPA's national environmental quality standards (NEQS) for 24-hours average PM2.5 concentration was 35 microgrammes per cubic meter indicating healthy air quality whereas the World Health Organization introduced more sticker air quality standards for PM2.5 of 15 microgrammes per cubic meter.

The EPA official said that the nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide concentrations were also recorded very low, during the four days, which were below the NEQS of 80 and 120 microgrammes per cubic meter respectively.

She elaborated that nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide were mainly generated through industrial activities which were limited during the past four days.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2022.