Capital's air quality plummets
Rapidly worsening air quality in the federal capital Wednesday prompted the Prime Minister's Climate Change Coordinator Romina Khurshid Alam to urge the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency to take immediate action to address the issue.
The PM's climate aide noted that deteriorating air quality from mid-October has particularly worsened further, leaving the city's ambience murky with increasing pollution.
The poor air quality in Islamabad, like many urban areas, can be attributed to several factors, she said adding that the main causes include vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction dust, burning of waste and crop residue.
"Addressing these drivers of bad air quality in the city requires stringent enforcement of the relevant environmental regulations and fines. And, adoption of better waste management practices and public awareness campaigns to combat pollution effectively are essential to complement the air quality improving measures."
Romina Khurshid Alam urged the city dwellers to play their part by avoiding the burning of waste and crop residue.
She also urged the city's waste collection authorities to regularly collect the waste from designated points and dispose of it properly in an environmentally sustainable and scientific manner to avoid its burning by the people in the streets.
Pak-EPA officials said that efforts are being taken to tackle the growing air pollution in the capital city to protect of public health from its hazardous impacts.
In a press statement, they said that air quality monitoring is being conducted on a regular basis through mobile stations and low-cost air quality monitoring sensors across the city.
The data collection through the Pak-EPA's air quality monitoring network focuses on key pollutants and environmental factors impacting public health, including Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, and relative humidity. "Calculated AQI values indicated that PM2.5 and PM10 levels were in the Moderate range, primarily affecting sensitive individuals, such as the elderly and those with respiratory conditions," a senior Pak-EPA official said.