'Environmental changes fuelling smog'

The Vice-Chancellor of Rawalpindi Medical University, Dr Muhammad Umar has termed environmental changes as the main cause of smog, urging citizens to use masks and avoid going outside homes unnecessarily.

"Citizens may face dangerous respiratory and lung diseases and skin, eye and nose allergies are also feared due to smog," he said in a statement.

Dr Umar said that especially Punjab had been facing the problem of smog for a few years, with environmental changes a major reason and the human role a contributory factor in spreading pollution and aggravating smog. "India is also spearing smog in Pakistan's Punjab," he added.

Dr Muhammad Umar also holds smoke-emitting vehicles and the lack of a proper maintenance system for public transport responsible for smog.

"Climate change is a problem beyond human control and no government can work alone," he said, adding the administration and the government should take strict action against smoke-emitting vehicles and a comprehensive plan should be made under which smoke-emitting vehicles couldn't come on the roads.

The spread of residential settlements near industrial areas and Pakistan's population growth were too causing smog, he said and advised a strict ban on burning of crop residues, a zero-tolerance against public transport and smog-emitting vehicles to overcome smog.