Air pollution in Lahore, Pakistan’s second city, reached a historic record on Saturday, more than 80 times higher than that deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a government official.
The air quality index peaked at 1067, before dropping back to around 300 in the morning. However, the air is considered “bad” from 180, according to this WHO index, and “dangerous” above 300.
“We have never reached a level of 1,000” in Lahore, said a senior environmental protection official in the local government.
This week, the air quality index “remained below 200” in the city of 14 million inhabitants. Already, the concentration of PM2.5 polluting particles was already almost 20 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by the WHO, he continued.
On Saturday, they reached 80 times this level.
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For days, Lahore has, like every year, been caught in smog, a mixture of fog and polluting emissions caused by low-end diesel fumes, fumes from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cold.
“The air quality index will remain high for the next three to four days,” the official added.
No sporting activities
On Wednesday, the provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four “hot spots” in the city – after already canceling all outdoor sports activities in schools for three months.
Touk-touks equipped with more polluting two-stroke engines are prohibited, as are restaurants which do barbecues without filters. Administrations and private companies will have half of their staff working from home from Monday. Construction work is halted and street food vendors, who often cook over open fires, must close at 8 p.m.
>> A cloud of gray mist hangs over northern Pakistan and India, along the Himalayas, on October 17, 2024:
In addition, Pakistani authorities say they will have to deal with a wind coming from neighboring India on Saturday, which is also regularly caught in smog at the end of the year. NASA satellite images show numerous fires on both sides of the border where farmers are carrying out agricultural burning this season.
Marked smog in winter
Smog is particularly severe in winter, when cold, denser air traps emissions from poor-quality fuels used to power the city’s vehicles and factories at ground level.
According to the WHO, prolonged exposure to smog can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.
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The Punjab government has called on residents, particularly “those suffering from respiratory, pulmonary and heart diseases, the elderly”, to “not leave their homes”. If these people go out, they must “must wear masks”.
ats/sjaq
