Smog building up over City

Ali Raza

EPDofficial says departmentwill take appropriatemeasures

LAHORE WITH the drop in minimum temperature, increase in humidity level and lack of water sprinkling on ongoing development projects where construction work has stopped have contributed to building up of smog over the provincial metropolis skies, which will thicken with the coming days. Met officials said that continental air is prevailing over most parts of the country. They predicted that mainly dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. On the buildup of smog, they said the humidity level is over 65 percent in the city while minimum temperature was dropping every day resulting in buildup of smog over the provincial capital. Air pollution caused by industries, traffic, crop burning and brick kilns are major contributors of smog, said environmentalists who believed that the layer of smog will thicken in the coming days. No rainfall was reported in any part of the country on Sunday. Met officials said Sunday’s minimum temperature was recorded at Skardu where mercury dropped to - 04°C while in Lahore, minimum temperature was 15.5°C, maximum was 24°C and humidity level was 67 percent. Environmental Protection Department (EPD) Punjab took several pre-smog measures to minimise its impact, but it seemed that none of the steps taken had worked and the citizens will have to face the similar smog situation, which they had faced in previous years. Environmental and weather experts believed that the present layer of smog was the result of dust particles raised from several abandoned development projects such as Metro Orange Line Train Project, Shaukat Khanam Flyover, Aik Moriya Bridge and etc. All of these projects are waiting for release of funds by the new government. Sources said the contractors of all of the ongoing development projects, where construction work had stopped due to lack of funds, have stopped water sprinkling due to which dust particles are continuously rising in the air. Smog containing the pollutants may cause eye/throat irritation as well as difficulty in breathing and due to this public may exercise precautionary measures, experts said, adding that no government department is taking this issue seriously while in developed countries presmog health warnings were issued and citizens especially children were directed to stay indoors because this may result in serious health hazard especially diseases relating to eyes, lungs and skin. Environment experts said smog is the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in the atmosphere, which leave airborne particles (called particulate matter) and ground-level ozone. They said Ozone (O3) is a gas that can form and react under the action of light and that is present in two layers of the atmosphere i.e first high in the atmosphere, which forms a layer that shields the Earth from ultraviolet rays and second at the ground level. This ground level layer of Ozone is formed from other pollutants and can react with other substances, in both cases under the action of light, they explained, adding it is a secondary pollutant formed when precursor pollutants such as Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds react under the action of light. They said that Ozone is also transported long distances in the atmosphere and is therefore considered a transboundary problem. Dr Tariq Chishti, a family physician said smog formed by ground-level ozone, Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Carbon monoxide and PM10 are especially harmful for senior citizens and children. “People with heart and lungs problems such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma,” should avoid going out in smog. Smog can also inflame breathing passages, decreasing the lungs' working capacity and causing shortness of breath, pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing, and coughing, he maintained. Long-term exposure to smog at low levels can affect lungs elasticity and the ability to resist disease, effectively aging lungs prematurely. Children, the elderly, asthmatics, and sufferers of other chronic lungs diseases are more susceptible to smog effects than the general population, he concluded. Naseemur Rehman, a senior official of EPD, said that the department has taken several measures to minimise effects of smog. He said none of the steps have failed and efforts of the department didn’t mean that smog will not build up over the city. He said the department is keenly watching the situation and will take appropriate measures.