The Punjab government has set in motion anti-smog measures in the wake of the worsening air quality situation as Lahore ranked top among the most polluted cities of the world, with the winter season approaching.
As the colder is just around the corner in the province, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said that all arrangements to tackle with smog situation had been made.
She said that the option of artificial rain would be implemented in the province in case of a rise in smog levels, with a cost of Rs5 million to Rs7 million.
Moreover, the crackdown against factories and vehicles producing toxic smoke will continue.
"Artificial rain will not be needed if we improve the environment through measures against smoke," Aurangzeb said, urging the masses to report such vehicles, factories or instances of stubble burning on government helpline 1373.
Lahore ranked on top of the ten most polluted cities in the world on Saturday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 186, The News reported.
Data collected from the IQ Air website revealed that Lahore was on top of the list, Delhi, India was second with an AQI of 172 and Dhaka, Bangladesh was third with an AQI of 157.
The city witnessed a hazy day and many citizens complained about irritation in the throat, burning of eyes and difficulty in breathing.
The citizens appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to ban all kinds of ongoing construction activities in the city for the next two months as rising dust was the major source of PM2.5, which last year was named as fugitive dust by the provincial government's Environmental Protection Department (EPD).
According to sources in the country's Environmental Protection Agency, the use of substandard fuel such as plastic and rubber especially in the cottage industry around Bund Road was contributing a lot in increasing the smog in Lahore.
The sources further added that vehicular pollution was also one of the major contributors of the smog but no strict action was being taken against smoke-emitting vehicles.
When contacted, an EPA spokesperson said the department was taking all measures to combat smog. He said a large number of brick kilns were demolished while a ban was also imposed on the movement of uncovered sand and mud trollies across the province.
He claimed that traffic pollution, stubble burning and smog coming from India were the main reasons, which should be taken care of effectively.
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