Punjab capital of Lahore i Smog After the increase in the level, the provincial government has announced several measures to prevent it, while the environmental experts have termed this situation as dangerous for human lives.
According to a report published in the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) Chicago’s latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), air pollution reduces life expectancy in Punjab by nearly four years.
Lahore and other cities are included in the list of the most polluted cities in the world on various criteria of Air Quality Index.
Sajid Bashir, spokesperson of Punjab Environment Department, said that effective measures are being taken to prevent the increase in pollution due to smog.
“Action is being taken against factories, crop burning, brick kilns, smoldering vehicles and rickshaws across Punjab.”
The City District Traffic Police has also started operations against smog-emitting vehicles.
The provincial government’s proposal to close markets and offices every Wednesday for a month to reduce smog is drawing backlash.
The business leaders say that the government should take steps to prevent smog through cleaning and other methods, closing the markets will only cause economic loss.
What is smog and why is it increasing?
Dr. Sajid Rashid, principal of Punjab University’s College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said that ‘Smog is a mixture of smoke and water vapor.
‘As a result, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide are formed, which cause eye irritation, skin irritation, sore throat.’
According to Sajid: ‘The main cause of smog is transport. 50% of the smoke from cars, trucks, rickshaws and buses causes smog.
‘Furthermore, burning of crops, burning of wood and coal also produces smoke which condenses with moisture in the atmosphere.’
According to Sajid Rashid: ‘To control this, the government will have to plan short term, long term and mid term. In this, the government has decided to work at home one day a week, which will reduce the traffic on the roads.
‘Secondly, the government should ensure that the smoke produced by vehicles, factories and crop burning on the roads is stopped. Penalties should be imposed and punishments should be given. However, it must be implemented on a regular basis.’
He further says that ‘there should be a ban in September and October that no one will burn garbage and no one will burn crop residues.’
Health hazards due to smog and air pollution
Former Head of ENT (Nose, Ear, Nose) Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore, Professor Dr. Sami Mumtaz said that ‘Environmental pollution and smog are causing respiratory problems including bronchitis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. ‘
According to Dr Sami: ‘Prolonged exposure to polluted air can increase the mortality rate due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as other health complications.’
According to them: ‘The presence of air pollution, especially benzene and formaldehyde, can increase the risk of lung cancer. People exposed to long-term exposure to pollution are at increased risk of developing this deadly disease.’
Dr. Sami further said that ‘Air pollution Pregnant women who suffer from it may be at risk of giving birth to low birth weight or premature babies, which can lead to health problems for the baby.’
According to Dr. Seem Mumtaz: ‘Air pollution can exacerbate allergies and asthma, increasing the suffering and symptoms of those affected.’
The challenge of government actions and responses
Provincial Environment Department spokesperson Sajid Bashir said in this regard that the anti-smog campaign in Punjab has already been intensified so that smog can be reduced by the end of October. For this, anti-smog squads have been formed in all the cities of the province.
According to him, ‘These squads are taking action against factories not using scrubbers, brick kilns not working according to the prescribed formula and those burning crop residues.’
According to the spokesperson of the Department of Environment: ‘A policy has been made across Punjab including Lahore that factories and vehicles that do not meet the conditions will not be able to run.
‘Checking was done in more than five thousand factories across the province since August 1.’
According to him: ‘Of these, 1,600 were sealed for not using scrubbers (a pollution control device) and 1,100 were fined.’
According to Sajid Bashir: ‘October has just started and our teams are busy conducting operations by raiding factories. A policy has been made that no factory that does not use scrubbers will be allowed to run.’
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On the issue of smog, City District Police Officer Mustansar Feroze released a video statement and said that ‘in order to stop smog, action is being taken against vehicles, trucks, rickshaws and motorcycles emitting smoke on all the major roads of Lahore.
On this issue, the traffic employees are locking up the vehicles in police stations along with fines and those who do not repair despite the fines are also being arrested.
However, traders and school owners have reacted strongly to the government’s decision to close educational institutions and markets in view of the smog control policy.
Kashif Raza, President of Private Schools Association, said that ‘closing the school will harm the education of children. However, if the government believes that reducing traffic in this way will reduce smog, then they can cooperate if the government takes it into confidence.’
President of Anjuman Tajran Lahore Waqar Ahmad Mian said that ‘to control smog, the government should first take the measures which will be beneficial. The cleaning staff does not act on the complaints and also the smoke emitting vehicles are roaming openly on the roads.
According to him: ‘Crop residue burning is beyond government control so closing markets will only destroy businesses, not reduce smog.’
“If the government sits with the traders and convinces them that closing the markets for one day in a week will not cause pollution or smog, then we are ready to close the shops for a month instead of a day.”
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