LAHORE: Residents of Lahore on Saturday voiced concerns about their health as toxic smog continues to affect Pakistan’s second largest city for weeks, with the government taking various measures to reduce pollutants in the air.
The eastern Pakistani city topped the world’s most polluted city index several times last month, consistently having an air quality index (AQI) above 300, according to Swiss group IQAir.
The AQI is a standardized tool measuring air pollutants, serving as a crucial barometer for public health. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’ and above 300 is ‘hazardous.’
Residents, who complain of difficulty in breathing, say smog remains “one of the most serious issues” facing them.
“This is like one of the most serious issues we are facing as students. First of all, it is not [just] affecting our health but it is also affecting our environment. Whenever I am stepping out of the house, I feel discomfortable breathing in the air,” Uzair Asif, a student, told Arab News.
“The problem of smog is a recurring one, becoming more severe each year in Lahore in the autumn and winter months when weather changes mean pollutants remain trapped in the air for longer.”
Heavy smog has forced authorities in the Punjab province to announce several measures, including lockdowns, school closures, changing business hours for markets, and cracking down on smoke-emitting vehicles and industries.
But people say these measures are just a “temporary solution” to the issue.
“That [lockdown] is just a temporary solution. Nothing is going to change from it. It will just reduce [the smog level] temporarily,” said Nazeer Ullah, another resident. “For permanent [solution], the government should shift [fuel-powered] vehicles to electric ones and install factory filters for smoke.”
To combat air pollution, real-time air quality data must first be made available to everyone so people may take better protection measures and mobilize efforts around tackling air pollution, according to experts.
Reducing industrial and vehicular emissions is critical to improve the air quality, for which people should be carpooling and using public transport more.
