LAHORE: Record-high air pollution in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore is sending more people to hospitals and private clinics, doctors said Wednesday as authorities warned a complete lockdown could be imminent if residents fail to don face masks and follow other guidance related to smog.
The warning came after residents out on the streets in Lahore, which has a population of 14 million, were seen overwhelmingly without masks. Doctors say most people are complaining of either having a cough or that they feel their eyes are burning.
“Tens of thousands of patients suffering from respiratory diseases were treated at hospitals and clinics in a week,” said Salman Kazmi, vice president of the Pakistan Medical Association.
You can see people coughing whenever you go, but they still hardly wear face masks, he said.
Lahore remained the world’s most polluted city Wednesday morning, with air quality index hitting a record high of over 1,100. Anything over 300 is considered hazardous to health.
A toxic smog has shrouded the city since last month.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in the Punjab province asked people to wear face masks to avoid a complete lockdown in the city. Lahore is the provincial capital.
Authorities in the city have already banned barbecuing food without filters, as well as the use of motorized rickshaws — and wedding halls must close by 10 p.m.
The government said it was also looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution.
Record-high pollution sickens thousands in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore
https://arab.news/ygf4u
Record-high pollution sickens thousands in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore
- Authorities warn a complete lockdown could be imminent if smog-related guidelines are ignored
- Lahore remained world’s most polluted city Wednesday morning as air quality index rose to over 1,100
US company eyes hydropower projects as Pakistan plans private-led power generation
- The power minister tells GE Vernova it can serve as a strong technical and investment partner
- He highlights reforms in the country’s power sector as Pakistan moves to a market-based model
ISLAMABAD: United States-based energy company GE Vernova on Monday expressed interest in expanding investment in Pakistan’s hydropower sector, an official statement said after a meeting between the company’s hydro division chief and the country’s power minister.
GE Vernova is GE’s dedicated energy company that focuses on power generation, grid technologies and renewable energy, including hydropower, wind and solar technologies, battery and energy storage systems, grid modernization and transmission solutions.
The meeting between the company’s hydropower chief, Frederic Ribieras, and the Pakistani minister, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, came as the country shifts toward a market-driven power sector in which private developers will lead future generation projects.
“Mr. Ribieras expressed interest in hydropower technologies,” the power ministry said in its statement. “The Minister supported this interest and said a list of potential investment projects can be shared with GE Vernova.”
Leghari told the GE Vernova official that the government wanted the private sector to take the lead in the sector and would not procure power in future.
He maintained the US company “can serve as a strong technical and investment partner.”
The minister said Pakistan was pursuing a least-cost energy strategy and had recently reached nearly 56 percent clean energy generation.
He highlighted transmission constraints and urged global investors to explore business-to-business opportunities, adding that the country needs battery-energy storage systems to support wind-power integration.
According to the statement, Ribieras proposed pumped-storage hydropower as an option, with the minister saying the government was open to reviewing all least-cost solutions.
He also highlighted the ongoing reforms, including the planned privatization of electricity distribution companies, and said GE Vernova’s expertise could support initiatives such as advanced metering infrastructure.
