Punjab faces longer smog spell

LAHORE:

The smog season in Punjab this year is expected to be longer than the past, environmental experts have warned.

Lahore has been ranked as the most polluted city of the world two weeks earlier than the previous year and smog has gripped several big cities of Punjab, including the provincial capital.

The citizens of the big cities have begun facing the harmful impact of smog. Especially, Lahore's air pollution has worsened. Other cities affected by air pollution include Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi and Sialkot.

The cities situated near the Lahore-Islamabad GT Road are also witnessing an increase in air pollution because of excessive heavy traffic during the night.

Lahore topped the list of most polluted cities of the world on October 12 for the first time during the ongoing season as per the Air Quality Index (AQI).

An early worsening of the air quality this year is evident from the fact that last year the provincial capital had been declared the most polluted city in the world for the first time in the summer season on October 29.

Terming the trend alarming, an environmentalist, Dr Munawar Sabir, said, "October was once considered a pleasant month at the beginning of the winter when cool breeze started blowing. However, it is our misfortune and also a result of our mismanagement and bad policies that it would be difficult to breathe during the same month this time."

He lamented that Lahore had once been a city of gardens, but its trees had been chopped to develop housing societies and the bitter fruit of such acts was now being reaped.

"It is alarming that we are the most polluted city in the second week of October as compared to the end of the month last year. Before 2023, we faced this situation in November," he recalled.

Dr Sabir said during the last season, the citizens of Lahore had suffered the worst air quality till March.

"The spell of smog will be longer this year and the government as well as citizens should be ready to cope with the situation," the environmental expert added.

Officials in the environment protection department said several areas of Lahore were facing the smog issue but the AQI readings were not being shared with the public like last year to avoid panic.

A senior official said a silence had been observed over the matter as per a policy but now the world AQI ranking had exposed the air pollution ratio of Lahore.

"The fact is that the smog season has started and the air quality in Lahore's various areas, including posh localities, has deteriorated. The situation is the same in other big cities, and those near the GT Road," the official added.

On the other hand, Senior Minister Mariyyum Aurangzeb has involved all the departments concerned, including the police, traffic and environment protection authorities, to curb smog. A campaign against brick kilns causing pollution has also been launched across Punjab.

"The positive thing this year is that the senior minister is leading the preventive efforts and a crackdown has also been launched this year against factories involved in burning tyres. A campaign against the burning of rice crop residue is also under way. These steps will surely help curb smog in the coming days," said Professor Arshad Mahmood of the University of Gujrat.

However, it is also the responsibility of every citizen, especially the youth, to help the government in curbing smog. Every citizen should play then role of an environmentalist for the purpose, he added.