Youth stress strict smog monitoring

Survey reveals support for regional cooperation

LAHORE:

As many as 82 per cent of young residents of Lahore support a strict monitoring system to check air pollution caused by vehicles, factories and other sectors, a survey has revealed.

The survey report shared by the Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department showed that 63 per cent people find Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's performance better as compared to previous governments to curb smog in the province.

According to the report, 44% of the respondents said smog was caused by vehicles and 88% demanded that factories should be shifted from residential areas to reduce air pollution.

A spokesman for the environment protection and climate change department said the survey had been conducted by the Earth People Global, a private environmental research organisation to gauge public opinion about smog and air pollution.

The team sought views from 1,500 young male and female residents of Lahore in connection with the various factors causing smog and air pollution.

The respondents called for a comprehensive monitoring system for local factories and substandard vehicles, terming them the top reason of air pollution in the city.

The findings of the survey showed that the spread of smog depends on government and public actions as well as the direction and flow of wind.

The report showed that 69% of the people were well aware about the government actions to curb smog and the reason of this was that the government has designed a good awareness campaign in this regard.

About 90% of the people were aware of smog related diseases and infections, while 88% suggested to shift factories from the residential areas of the city.

In the category of public actions, 44% said the reason of the pollution causing smog was substandard vehicles. However, 40% people never checked the engine and silencer of their motorcycles.

As many as 44% of the youths said that they had never planted a tree to curb air pollution.

On the other hand, 82% demanded strict checks on factories and vehicles.

Young citizens also said the wind direction was also an important factor in smog in Lahore after the burning of crop residue in the neighbouring country. They said regional cooperation was the need of the time to curb smog. They said Pakistan and India should take strict steps to curb smog in their areas.

The situation would only improve when the governments of both countries would take comprehensive action to cope with air pollution, stated the survey report.

An official of the environment protection department said the purpose of releasing the survey report was that government in Punjab and also across the border should analyse the situation and consider the public reaction in the wake of the suffering due to the smog.

"This survey report will also be shared with different departments and international organisations that are working on environment and pollution so that public opinion should be made clear as the people are suffering the most due to the smog," the official said.

Millions of people in Punjab and also in India have suffered from diseases caused by smog during the ongoing season.

Hospitals in Lahore have daily been receiving thousands of patients suffering due to the toxic smog and air pollution.