Lahore Covered In Thick Smog & Air Pollution - Measures Required

[Zibago]

Thanks to our neighbors

Waisey mask pehn kay doctor doctor wali feeling a rahi hay
@Gufi

 

[The Sandman]

Waisey mask pehn kay doctor doctor wali feeling a rahi hay
@Gufi

 

[Asian.Century]

[QUOTE="Great Sachin, post: 8881077, member: 138183

[/QUOTE]

I have seen this video sachin - but the smog, chemicals + pollutants is causing deaths, car accident crashes, yesterday 14 cars collided as its not possible to see through fog...The smog has now covered Lahore, Islamabad, Pindi, Punjab and some Sindh areas and now in Peshawar in KPK ...... all covered with dirty Hindustani Smog.

SMOG kills as it is dangerous gases, chemicals, methane, nitrogen oxide which makes the eyes red, coughing, and it leads to lung cancer, breathing problems, bronchitis , respiratory issues and Asthema....that is why it is called smog terrorism by dirty pollutted Hindustanis. ..if you Indians can't live clean without toliets let others live clean healthy lives....there was no smog in Pakistan or in Lahore...suddenly after crop burning, diwali, Delhi pollution and eastern Punjab air gases moved west..the same smog waves finally reached Pakistan creating a dangerous environment and hazardous to health. Act now India!

India has malnutrion , slum-dog, 2 inch problems, we don't .....so stop sending ur Indian filth towards Pakistanis.

 

[PaklovesTurkiye]

I remember chasing squirrels as a child in clean Shalimar Bagh :-(

Mubarak ho smog ki amid Islamabad mein ho gayi hay

@User @The Sandman @Chauvinist @PaklovesTurkiye @Moonlight @Musafir117 @Arsalan
Ab kpk mein jaye gi

Yar is baat mein kitna truth hai k ye sab smog India se yahan araha hai?

 

[Zibago]

Yar is baat mein kitna truth hai k ye sab smog India se yahan araha hai?

100%

 

[litman]

we pakistanis are so stupid that we put the blame of our own stupidity on india and israel. they didnt tell us to cut trees and smuggle wood. they didnt tell us to install factories on rich agricultural land. they didnt tell us not to construct new dams.

 

[PaklovesTurkiye]

we pakistanis are so stupid that we put the blame of our own stupidity on india and israel. they didnt tell us to cut trees and smuggle wood. they didnt tell us to install factories on rich agricultural land. they didnt tell us not to construct new dams.

Sad....Hope politicians get affect by it so badly so that they decide to do something regarding this....

 

[Asian.Century]

Lahore and Motorway under heavy smog again.

Punjab government had created a misconception that the smog transpired due to burning of agricultural waste in the Indian province of Punjab. Reason behind the smog was the lack of enforcement of environmental laws and dysfunctional central laboratory in Lahore. Government had not taken any adequate awareness measures amongst the public.

 

[Asian.Century]

Amnesty International demands 'Urgent Action' over smog in Lahore

On Friday, Amnesty International issued an "Urgent Action" warning for the people of Lahore to protect themselves from the hazardous smog engulfing the city.



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“The government’s inadequate response to the smog in Lahore raises significant human rights concerns. The hazardous air is putting everyone’s right to health at risk,” said Rimmel Mohydin, the South Asia campaigner at Amnesty International. She continued: “The issue is so serious that we are calling on our members around the world to write to the Pakistani authorities to tell them to stop downplaying the crisis and take urgent action to protect people’s health and lives.”

A mobilizing tool used to exert pressure on governments and states, "Urgent Action" has been previously used by Amnesty International to garner international support for issues like the release of Aasia Bibi.

While Delhi's city administration has taken many measures to reduce smog, including restricting the number of vehicles on roads and shutting down government offices and schools, Lahore has yet to receive any directives from the government to address the crisis. As of yet, the only measure the government has taken is to close schools on days the smog is predicted to be hazardous. Even the wearing of smog-masks to school is not enforced in the city.

Studies have shown that smog can cause a variety of cancers, as well as aggravate the health of those who are prone to lung-related illnesses. Children and the elderly are considered to be the groups most vulnerable to the effects of smog.

READ MORE: Govt taking steps to control inflation, says Hafeez Sheikh

 

[Asian.Century]

"Earlier in the day, Switzerland-based air quality information platform IQair declared Lahore the second most polluted city, after New Delhi, India's capital. It is currently ranked as the fourth most polluted city in the world, preceded by Beijing, Delhi and Mumbai." Some say Beijing is no 1.

Lahore, Abbottabad see peak pollution as coronavirus surges

A thick blanket of smog enveloped Lahore on Wednesday, prompting officials to warn that tens of thousands of the city's residents risk respiratory disease and eye-related problems while doctors urged people to stay at home.

The air quality in Lahore deteriorated to hazardous levels, putting an additional burden on the fragile healthcare system amid a surge in coronavirus deaths and new infections. The Air Quality Index at one point rose to 750 in the city's poorer areas — about 12 times the recommended level.

Earlier in the day, Switzerland-based air quality information platform IQair declared Lahore the second most polluted city, after New Delhi, India's capital. It is currently ranked as the fourth most polluted city in the world, preceded by Beijing, Delhi and Mumbai.

Pollution indexes peak dramatically in Pakistan in winter, when farmers burn off stubble in the fields. Winds worsen the pollution by further spreading smog across the region.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD

"The air quality level was hazardous today,” said Sajid Bashir, a spokesman for Environmental Protection Department.

By mid-day the situation had improved, he said, as authorities took steps to keep smoke emitting vehicles off the roads and shut brick kilns across the province of Punjab, where Lahore is the provincial capital.

Lahore, once dubbed as the city of gardens, remained pollution-free for months after March, when the government imposed a lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. But the restriction was lifted in May, allowing a return to industrial activities and normal businesses. With cars back on the roads, the air quality gradually deteriorated, falling again to unhealthy levels.

Cars are the top pollutants in Lahore but the city also has other sources of pollution, including the stubble burning, steel manufacturing furnaces and the city's famous brick kilns.

"Coughing, throat infection and irritation in the eyes are common," said Anza Farid, an environmental expert, warning that the situation could worsen in the coming weeks as more people burn garbage in the cities and farmers burn off the stubble in their fields.

Pollution levels rise in Abbottabad
Pollution levels in Abbottabad city have also increased to "very unhealthy" grade, according to Dr Qaisar Mehmood, head of the Department of Environmental studies COMSATS Institute of Technology Abbottabad campus. The particulate matter in the city, known for its greenery, has increased to 3.4G per cubic metre.

The city is clouded with dust and smoke. One of the causes of the increased pollution is said to be construction of the main Karakoram Highway road which has been underway for the past few months.

According to Dr Mehmood, prolonged construction work has led to increased traffic jams, which inevitably cause smoke. He disclosed that the increased pollution has led to an increase in Covid-19 cases in the city as particulate matter was a carrier of the coronavirus disease.

Dr Talha Ayub urged people to wear face masks for protection, both from pollution and the coronavirus. "People should try to stay at home if they can,” he appealed.

Covid-19 cases and deaths are rising in Pakistan despite government-imposed partial lockdowns in 4,136 residential areas across the country. The government is turning to sealing off hotspots in a bid to contain rising fatalities and infections from coronavirus.

Authorities also banned large gatherings, shut shrines, cinemas and theatres to contain the spread of the virus.

PM Imran's warning
Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan had cautioned that a second wave of the novel coronavirus may hit cities with a high level of pollution in the coming months as the winter season approaches.

The premier said that several cities, where pollution levels are high, experience smog during October and November, when temperatures start to drop.

"I fear that in these two months — October and November [...] cities like Faisalabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, where there is more pollution [...] there might be a second spike in coronavirus cases. The cases are rising gradually and we hope that they don't increase quickly and we are monitoring it," he said.

He further said that during the winter, "pollution becomes stagnant in the atmosphere", leading to the spread of diseases.

Lahore, Abbottabad see peak pollution as coronavirus surges

According to IQair, Lahore's air quality has degraded to 'Unhealthy', putting an additional burden on the fragile health system.

www.dawn.com

 

[313ghazi]

is this all due to stubble burning? why is it the same problem at the same time of year, every year?

 

[Sheikh Rauf]

Changa manga is gone by wood mafia, mafia also building housing projects on fertile land, to build their projects gov cut tree anywhere in city and dont replace it, ultimately it suppose to happen when gov is not providing gas to rural area they offcourse will cut trees.
now we hardly have fresh water and tree in Pakistan it is envoirmental hazard without jungle we will also killing wild life.

 

[Chhatrapati]

is this all due to stubble burning? why is it the same problem at the same time of year, every year?

Part of the problem is stubble burning. In Delhi, only 4% of the pollution is from stubble burning. Rest is from vehicle, biomass, garbage dump burning, industries, dust, construction works, and more. In the winter the air is still and there is no heavy wind movement or rain that distributes the pollution away from the source.