Experts warn smog may return

LAHORE:Once again, the provincial metropolis ranked first in the list of the world’s top 10 most polluted cities while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifted all bans on the outdoor activities putting health of the citizens at risk.

Data collected from IQAir revealed that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Lahore was 189, AQI of Delhi, India was 186 and AQI of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia was 170. Rest of the top 10 polluted cities included Tashkent, Uzbekistan (160), Mumbai, India (152), Kolkata, India (144), Shanghai, China (144), Dhaka, Bangladesh (143), Accra, Ghana (119) and Doha, Qatar (118).

As per the data, the AQI at Sunder Industrial Estate was 285, DHA Phase 8 (269), Polo Ground Cantt (228), CERP Office (222), Pakistan Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd. (212), WWF-Pakistan (192), University of Management and Technology (189), Syed Maratib Ali Road (189), Valencia Town Lahore (188), Ghazi Road Interchange (187), US Consulate in Lahore (183), Lahore American School (181), Askari 10 (166), Block A, Johar Town (162) and Shahrah-e-Quaid-i-Azam (139).

Environmental experts said PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore was currently 21.8 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value. They warned the government that smog may accumulate again on the city skies if anti-smog measures will not continue.

On the other hand, the EPA issued a notification about resumption of outdoor activities and operational timings of shops, markets and shopping plazas.

The notification said that in light of the recent improvement in Air Quality Index, the competent authority has been pleased to decide that henceforth all outdoor activities, including parks (public & private), zoos, playgrounds, historical places, monuments, museums, joy/play lands outdoor sports events, exhibitions and festivals shall be resumed from today (Friday) in the whole province till 8:00pm.

However, the general public was advised to wear a face mask in open areas, adults with more than 65 years of age shall avoid strenuous exercise, people with heart and lung diseases must consult their doctor before visiting outdoors, children with age less than 5 years shall avoid extended hours in playgrounds.

The notification further stated that it was clarified that shops, markets and shopping malls in the districts of Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala shall be closed after 8:00pm, throughout the week, including Saturday and Sunday. However, sectors exempted from the restriction included Pharmacies/Medical Stores, Medical Facilities, Medical Laboratories, Vaccination Centres, Petrol Pumps, Oil Depots, Tandoors, Bakeries, Grocery/Karyana stores, Milk/Dairy Shops, Sweet Shops, Vegetable/Fruit Shops, Chicken/Meat Shops, E-commerce/Postal/Courier Services and Utility Services (Electricity, Natural Gas, Internet, Cellular Networks/Telecom). The notification added that department stores may only keep their grocery/pharmacy sections open while all others sections will remain closed. Any contravention to this order shall be punished U/S 188 PPC, the notification concluded.

Furthermore, Met office said that continental air was prevailing over most parts of the country while a shallow westerly wave was likely to approach upper parts of the country on Friday (evening/night).

They predicted that cold and dry weather was expected in most parts of the country. However, cloudy weather with light rain (light snowfall over mountain) was expected in Gilgit-Baltistan. Smog/fog (in patches) was likely to prevail at isolated plain areas of Punjab during morning/night hours. Thursday’s minimum temperature was recorded at Leh where mercury dropped to -07°C, while in Lahore, it was 11.2°C and maximum was 27°C.

33 arrested over violation of smog SOPs

On the instructions of IGP Dr Usman Anwar, Punjab Police arrested 33 individuals and registered 51 cases over violation of smog SOPs. Fines amounting to over Rs8.88 million were imposed on 533 violators, while 29 individuals were issued warnings. The Punjab Police spokesperson said that 20 violations related to the burning of crop residues, 437 related to smoky vehicles and four related to industrial activities.