ISLAMABAD: Latest data compiled by IQAir, published in the 2019 World Air Quality Report and the most polluted cities rankings, show that Pakistan is the second most polluted country in South Asia, after India.
In South Asia, Indian and Pakistani cities again dominated the world’s most polluted cities for particulate pollution (PM2.5) in 2019.
“Twenty-one out of the top 30 most polluted cities are located in India,” IQAir said on its website. “Five of the top 30 most polluted cities are located in Pakistan.”
“While the new coronavirus is dominating international headlines, a silent killer is contributing to nearly 7 million more deaths a year: air pollution,” IQAir CEO Frank Hammes said. “Through compiling and visualizing data from thousands of air quality monitoring stations, the 2019 World Air Quality Report gives new context to the world’s leading environmental health threat.”
Chinese cities achieved a 9% average decrease in PM2.5 levels in 2019, after a 12% decrease in 2018. Still, 98% of cities exceeded WHO guidelines and 53% of cities exceed China’s less stringent national targets, IQAir said. In the last decade Beijing has more than halved its annual PM2.5 levels and this year dropped out of the ranking’s top 200 most polluted cities.
South Korea was the most polluted country for PM2.5 among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries during 2019. Air quality levels in key cities have remained relatively stagnant over recent years.
While cities in India, on average, exceed the WHO target for annual PM2.5 exposure by 500%, IQAir said, national air pollution decreased by 20% from 2018 to 2019, with 98% of cities experiencing improvements.
“These improvements are believed to be largely a result of economic slow-down,” IQAir said.
In Southeast Asia, in a historic shift reflecting the region’s rapid industrialization, urban hubs Jakarta and Hanoi overtook Beijing for the first time, among the world’s most PM2.5 polluted capital cities.
Pakistan second most polluted country in South Asia after India
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Pakistan second most polluted country in South Asia after India
- IQAir says 21 out of the top 30 most polluted cities are located in India
- Five of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world are located in Pakistan
Pakistan says Saudi help securing oil supplies as it vows to absorb price shocks amid Iran war
- Petroleum minister says Riyadh, UAE assisting with vessels as Strait of Hormuz closure disrupts supplies
- PSO says petroleum stocks sufficient for more than 20 days of normal demand despite regional disruptions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Tuesday it was working with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to secure oil supplies and would try to absorb any further global price shocks to shield consumers, after a record fuel price hike triggered by the ongoing Iran war and disruptions to regional energy routes.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said the government had coordinated with Saudi authorities to arrange shipments from the Red Sea port of Yanbu, part of broader efforts to stabilize supplies as tensions in the Middle East roil global energy markets.
The conflict escalated after coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran late last month, followed by Iranian retaliation across the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The disruption has driven crude prices higher and raised fears of global supply shortages.
“With the prime minister’s support, and with the help of the Saudi ambassador, we coordinated with the Saudi government to arrange [oil shipments] from Yanbu, which is a port on the Red Sea,” Malik said in an interview with Geo News.
“They are providing tremendous assistance to us,” he added. “The UAE is also extending significant help. We are coordinating with Saudi Arabia, they are arranging ships for us, and they have also arranged a larger vessel. We are trying to have it dock in Oman and then transfer the cargo to smaller vessels, but we are not getting insurance to dock in Oman.”
Pakistan last week raised petrol and diesel prices by 55 rupees per liter, the largest single-day increase in its history, as the government scrambled to keep energy supplies flowing while managing a fragile economic recovery under an International Monetary Fund program.
Malik said authorities had tried to prepare for the crisis by building reserves where possible, though some fuels such as gas could not be stockpiled in the same way.
“These are extraordinary circumstances,” he said. “In this situation, one thing we have tried to ensure is that the public does not face any difficulty in supply in any way.”
He said the government had entered the crisis in a relatively better position after building reserves of several fuels, though the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had created new logistical challenges.
“Even today, you may see minor complaints here and there, and there will certainly be discomfort regarding prices, but at least the supply is available,” Malik said.
Malik said it remained unclear how global oil prices would evolve in the coming weeks but stressed the government would try to cushion consumers from further shocks.
“However, I can say one thing: the prime minister has certainly decided that if any increase does occur, the government will try as much as possible to absorb it so that it does not create additional difficulties for the public, while also ensuring that supply continues.”
SUFFICIENT FUEL STOCKS
Meanwhile, Pakistan State Oil (PSO), the country’s largest fuel supplier, said it had sufficient petroleum stocks to meet normal demand for more than 20 days despite regional supply disruptions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday night, the company said it had secured multiple cargoes of motor gasoline (Mogas) for March and early April through international tenders and government-to-government arrangements.
Two Mogas cargoes from Oman are scheduled to arrive this month, while another shipment has been secured from Saudi Arabia’s Aramco following coordination between Islamabad and Riyadh, it said.
The company added that it had also secured a Mogas cargo for early April and opened another tender for deliveries later that month.
PSO said its current high-speed diesel (HSD) stocks were also sufficient for more than 20 days of normal demand, though supplies from Kuwait Petroleum Corporation had been disrupted after the company declared force majeure due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The company said it was exploring alternative supply routes and additional cargoes to maintain stocks ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming agricultural season, when diesel demand typically rises.
