According to the minister, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Lahore which is being observed nowadays is different and the actual rating as per Pakistan Meteorological Department is 134.
Muhammad Rizwan, while speaking to City 42 News, said that people don’t know how to install air quality monitors. He announced that the administration is starting a plan in which people will be given education and training related to this.
Furthermore, while maintaining his stance, he stated: “Today our department has recorded AQI 134 mark while Town Hall has 192 and Model Town has 186.”
After this, the host of the programme said that today (Friday) the city’s quality index was at 337 and previously Lahore was on the list of the most polluted cities.
To which he replied, ”I can say with full confidence that there has been no smog in the last two years in Punjab, including Lahore.”
He said that even if there is no fog, the presence of smog was not possible.
India’s capital New Delhi has the worst air quality in the world as the city is at the top of the Air Quality Index (AQI) with 332.
The morning after the Diwali celebrations, a thick smog turned daylight into dusk around the capital as AQI surged to 463 on a scale of 500, which is the maximum recorded in 2021, indicating “severe” conditions that affect even healthy people let alone those with existing respiratory diseases, reports Reuters.
In India, toxic air kills reportedly more than a million people annually.
“No country delights more in passing laws and then bypassing them than ours. Today Delhi particularly is facing the consequences of this feature of our lives,” Jairam Ramesh, a lawmaker and a leader of the main opposition Congress Party tweeted on Friday.
No country delights more in passing laws and then by-passing them than ours. Today, Delhi particularly is facing the consequences of this feature of our lives. Air pollution is at its most dangerous peak.
Gopal Rai, Delhi environment chief said authorities planned to install 20 anti-smog guns to spray water into the air to help dilute the smog.
Currently, there have been calls for more strict measures such as a temporary ban on construction activities and shutdowns of high-polluting factories.
Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi told the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow that India would achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, but some experts reckoned that the target was at least two decades too late.
As per today’s date (Saturday), Lahore was at 3rd place. While India’s other two cities currently stand at 4th and 5th.
Air pollution contaminates the air in Punjab and it shoots up in winter as farmers burn rice stalks left behind after harvesting to clear their fields to plant wheat.
During these cooler months, Lahore, which is surrounded by rice-growing districts, is covered with thick smog, putting people, especially the elderly and sick, at an increased risk.
“It is a health emergency – the air quality monitors in Lahore routinely show hazardous levels in November,” said Farah Rashid, a climate and energy program coordinator for green group WWF-Pakistan.
Now the Punjab government hopes to tackle the problem by providing 500 rice farmers around Lahore with a set of machines named ‘Happy Seeder’ that together eliminate the need to burn crop stubble.
The machines include a shredder that breaks down rice stubble and mulches it into the ground and a seed drill that follows to sow wheat through the mulch.
Malik Amin Aslam, climate change adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan, called air pollution a “silent killer” and said Lahore’s smog had increased in intensity and frequency over the last five years.
He explained that rice farmers traditionally use combine harvesters to cut their rice in October, leaving behind about four inches of stubble.
With less than two weeks before they have to ready their fields to sow wheat, burning is the fastest way to clear the land, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In Pakistan, rice is grown on an area of about 2 million hectares (5 million acres), mainly in the Punjab and Sindh provinces. Many of the fields are cleared by burning every year.
Commuters drive their vehicles amid heavy smog conditions in Lahore
In October and November, Lahore’s Air Quality Index level can jump to over 300, a number that the US Environmental Protection Agency says corresponds to a “health warning of emergency conditions.”
CUTTING EMISSIONS
Farmers say the new farm equipment can help combat smog but note that crop burning produces only a small share of the province’s pollution.
“The stubble is burned only for a few weeks in the winter. It is a fact that the problem becomes worse during this short period,” Bhandara said.
“But farmers are not the only reason for this pollution,” he added.
A 2018 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on the underlying causes of smog in Punjab noted that agriculture — mainly rice residue burning — accounts for 20 percent of total air pollutant emissions.
That puts it behind the industry, which produces a quarter of the air pollution in the province, and transport, which contributes more than 40 percent.
Tackling air pollution — and leaving stubble on the soil as mulch, rather than burning it — also has the benefit of reducing carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
In India, where farmers have been using the rice stubble shredder and Happy Seeder for the past few years, a group of scientists published a report last year stating the technology could cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 78 percent.
CHOSEN BY LOTTERY
In Mandi Bahauddin district, where famed Basmati rice is grown, Muhammad Afzal, an agriculture officer at Punjab’s Government Agriculture Seed Farm, has been experimenting with the Happy Seeder for the past two years.
“Stubble management is a serious issue for farmers,” said Afzal, who helps farmers adopt new farming techniques.
Pakistan has penalties for rice stubble burning, including fines of up to Rs20,000 per acre — but most farmers have little other choice and simply continue the practice and pay the penalty when they are charged.
But a growing number are looking for alternative solutions, Afzal said.
The total cost for the stubble shredder and Happy Seeder is about Rs637,500 rupees, and the government this year is paying about 80 percent of the price for 500 farmers, he noted.
“For those who can’t afford it, bigger farmers are willing to rent out the machines. In the future, more service providers will come up to rent them out,” Afzal said.
One drawback to the machines, he noted, is the need to mount them on the back of a tractor — and not just any tractor will do.
“It requires a large, 85-horsepower tractor,” he noted, something most rice farmers in Pakistan do not have.
Bhandara, the farmer in Pakpattan, said the subsidised machines also are only available in certain districts around Lahore, in the so-called smog “red zone.”
“The subsidised machines should be made available to rice farmers in South Punjab and Sindh as well, otherwise they are too expensive for most farmers,” he said.
Despite the limitations, the Happy Seeder has proven so popular that the government has had 10 applicants for each of its 500 machines, according to Aslam, the climate change adviser.
He said authorities are using a lottery system to decide who gets the subsidised equipment.
The government has plans to expand the Happy Seeder program next year and cover the whole of the Punjab rice belt by 2023, Aslam noted.
In the meantime, he added, it is already working on a technology upgrade.
“The agriculture extension department has developed a prototype to combine the two shredder [and] seeder machines into one ‘Pak Seeder’, which will be even more effective and efficient” — plus 30 percent cheaper, he said.
The Ministry of Climate Change has set up a smog control room in Lahore to regularly monitor smog that causes health problems to people in different areas of the province during the winters.
The other objective of the Control Room was to have a constant check on smog Air Quality Index (AQI) in the province during coming days.
Ministry of Climate Change establishes ‘Smog Control Room’ in Lahore to ensure regular monitoring of smog which causes health hazards to population in different areas of province during Winter season @aminattock#CleanGreenPakistanhttps://t.co/USRVrvUVL7
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the process to fight smog has begun.
He said there would be a regular check on crop burning, transport and industrial emissions, brick kilns and cross-border emissions which are the main sources of smog production.
Malik Amin said that farmers have been provided with much-needed technology to help them avoid burning of crop residue and instead convert the residue into organic fertilizer to enhance the fertility of their farmlands.
He said technology is also being introduced across the country under the government’s project for Mechanized Management of Rice Crop Residue for which thirty billion rupees are being spent for payment of 50,000 units of rice straw shredder.
A thick blanket of smog has enveloped Lahore, prompting officials to warn that tens of thousands of the city’s residents risk respiratory disease and eye-related problems while doctors urged people to stay at home.
The air quality in Lahore deteriorated to hazardous levels, putting an additional burden on the fragile healthcare system amid a surge in coronavirus deaths and new infections. The Air Quality Index at one point rose to 750 in the city’s poorer areas — about 12 times the recommended level.
Earlier in the day, Switzerland-based air quality information platform IQair declared Lahore the second most polluted city, after New Delhi, India’s capital. Pollution indexes peak dramatically in Pakistan in winter, when farmers burn off stubble in the fields. Winds worsen the pollution by further spreading smog across the region.
“The air quality level was hazardous today,” said Sajid Bashir, a spokesman for Environmental Protection Department.
By mid-day the situation had improved, he said, as authorities took steps to keep smoke emitting vehicles off the roads and shut brick kilns across Punjab.
Lahore, once dubbed as the city of gardens, remained pollution-free for months after March, when the government imposed a lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. But the restriction was lifted in May, allowing a return to industrial activities and normal businesses. With cars back on the roads, the air quality gradually deteriorated, falling again to unhealthy levels.
Pollution is no stranger to Pakistan, a country of 220 million — or Lahore, with some 12 million people. Cars are the top pollutants in Lahore but the city also has other sources of pollution, including the stubble burning, steel manufacturing furnaces and the city’s famous brick kilns.
“Coughing, throat infection and irritation in the eyes are common,” said Anza Farid, an environmental expert, warning that the situation could worsen in the coming weeks as more people burn garbage in the cities and farmers burn off the stubble in their fields.
Dr Talha Ayub urged people to wear face masks for protection, both from pollution and the coronavirus. “People should try to stay at home if they can,” he appealed.
Pakistan on Thursday said it registered 34 new COVID-19 deaths and 1,808 new infections over the past 24 hours — despite a government-imposed partial lockdowns in 4,136 residential areas across the country. The government is turning to sealing off hotspots in a bid to contain rising fatalities and infections from coronavirus.
Authorities also banned large gathering, shut shrines, cinemas and theatres to contain the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 348,000 people in Pakistan and killed 7,021 since February.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned that the second wave of coronavirus infections was imminent, especially in cities that face higher air pollution levels.
In an award ceremony pertaining to clean green index programme, the prime minister said that he feared there might be a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in cities where the rate of pollution increases in October and November.
“I fear that in October and November […] cities like Faisalabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Gujranwala where there is more pollution […] there might be a second spike in coronavirus cases. The cases are rising gradually and we hope that they don’t increase quickly; we are monitoring it,” he added. According to the PM, the infections could increase during winter as ‘pollution becomes stagnant in the atmosphere’.
This is not the first time that the premier has warned of a resurgence of the deadly virus. At the start of this month, he had urged people to follow precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Even though there have been multiple warnings by the government officials about the imminent spike in coronavirus infections, the federal and provincial governments have yet to take any serious measures to thwart a potential catastrophe. In March when the virus had started making inroads in Pakistan, the federal government through its reckless attitude enabled the outbreak.
The prime minister had said the coronavirus infection was just like normal ‘flu’ which could be cured with ‘hot water’. This attitude didn’t help the government or public living under the shadow of a pandemic.
If you catch #coronavirsu, you will recover soon because it is like a flu, said PM of Pakistan Imran Khan. — And world doesn’t have vaccine coz it is just like flu. So, Imran Khan, return money to @WorldBank & AB; u collected in the name of Coronavirus
This time again, the government is dilly-dallying on measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreak. Despite a gradual spike in cases since September, the government has allowed schools and businesses to operate, exposing millions to the virus.
SMOG AND CORONAVIRUS:
Experts say the pollutants could also aid the spread of coronavirus, said a BBC report. “In addition to air pollution decreasing immune defences, it is thought that particulate and nitrogen dioxide found in air pollution can act as vectors for the spread and survival of airborne particles such as Covid [virus],” Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University, said.
Studies have shown that exposure to high levels of pollution worsens the condition of patients who have diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease and asthma. And it also weakens the immune system of healthy people.
“The lung is the gateway to the body and any damage to the organ can cause severe problems. And that makes people more susceptible to Covid-19,” Dr DJ Christopher, head of pulmonary medicine at the prestigious Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu, said. Christopher said. “It’s akin to fighting a war with weakened front-line soldiers.”
In Lahore, the air quality index has crossed 200 –very unhealthy– since the past week. According to the IQAir website, “Air quality in Lahore usually worsens during the winter season from October to February.” It says that winter air pollution is ‘worse due to temperature inversion, which results in a layer of warm air that is prevented from rising trapping air pollutants’.
One of four Indian men on death row over the infamous 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder appealed against his sentence citing pollution.
Akshay Singh Thakur was one of a group of men who gang-raped a 23-year-old woman on a bus in India’s capital late at night in December seven years ago.
Her case and death, 12 days later from extensive internal injuries — sparked national protests and international horror, and became synonymous with India’s high rates of sexual violence against women.
Filed through his lawyer, the now 31-year-old said in his review petition to the Supreme Court that the air quality in New Delhi was like a “gas chamber” and its water “full of poison”.
“Everyone is aware of what is happening in Delhi-NCR (national capital region) with regard to air and water. Life is going to be short, then why death penalty?” the petition said.
According to India Today, this argument is prefaced by another bizarre argument which cities ancient Indian texts such as the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads to say that during ‘Satyug’ (the first of the four ages mentioned in Hindu mythology), people used to live for “thousand years”.
The petition, as it questions the practice of awarding death penalty, then says that we are now in Kalyug (the last age in Hindu mythology) where the average lifespan has reduced to 50-60 years.
Akshay is the final defendant out of four given the death sentence in the case to file a review petition before India’s top court. It too was expected to be rejected.
Media reports this week said that the men could be hanged before the end of the year, and possibly on December 16, the anniversary of the attack.
Some reports said that Tihar prison, where they are incarcerated, has held a dummy execution to test the gallows and that special ropes are being brought from elsewhere though a Tihar prison official said that he had no knowledge of any such preparations.
Every winter Delhi is shrouded for months in a toxic smog that experts say is shortening the lives of the mega city’s 20 million inhabitants.
The pollution appeal comes shortly after another Indian woman, Dr Priyanka Reddy was gang-raped and murdered last month, sparking protests and calls for reform of the country’s notoriously slow legal system.
Lahore on Thursday once again topped the global list of cities with poor air quality as monitors showed an average “hazardous” Air Quality Index (AQI) of 335.
According to Newsweek Pakistan, residents of the capital of the country’s most populous province woke up again to the sight of a haze covering the city, with residents complaining of sore throats, itchy eyes and other ailments linked to inhaling toxic material through the smog that has increasingly become a regular fixture.
While the average AQI for the entire city stood at 335 around noon, parts of the city with individual air quality monitors showed the figure rising as high as 763, which posits a PM2.5 of nearly 900 ug/m3 — the equivalent of smoking nearly 40 cigarettes.
While smog is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan, it has taken on greater urgency this year amid ever worsening air quality that is particularly unhealthy for children, the elderly and the infirm. In 2007, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered authorities to prepare a smog response action plan to overcome the health crisis. The Punjab Environment Protection Council, however, adopted a plan that utilised a modified AQI classification system, which claims a PM2.5 rating of 60 is “satisfactory” even though US AQI adopted by much of the world declares it “unhealthy”.
PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, so small that they can only be detected with an electron microscope. These fine particles, which can come from various sources including power plants, motor vehicle emissions, and agricultural burning, last longer in the air than heavier particles. This increases chances of them being inhaled by humans and animals, where they can bypass the nose and throat and penetrate deep into the lungs. The air pollution worsens during winter, emerging as smog, due to temperature inversion, which produces a layer of warm air that traps air pollutants.
Meanwhile, schools on Friday will once again remain closed across the city due to smog.Both public and private schools in Gujranwala and Faisalabad will also remain shut.
The Punjab School Education Department has issued a notification in this regard as well.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has offered to help India combat the smog problem engulfing both countries.
Taking to Twitter, the minister suggested using a scientific solution to handle the smog.
Fawad in his tweet said that the burning of crops in the Indian city of Jalandhar was causing chaos on both sides of the border adding to the toxicity in the air making it difficult to breathe in.
He then offered a machine-based solution to turn the crop residue into a source of energy rather than burning it.
Crop burning in Jallender is playing havoc with environment on both sides of Punjab border, We can help Indian Punjb Govt to use a machine solution to turn crop waste into a burning billet, that can be used as fuel when needed #Sciencehelps
A thick layer of smog has descended again on Punjab, especially hitting Lahore.
According to the Air Visual, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lahore is hazardous. The toxic smog in Lahore also forced the government and private schools to remain closed on Thursday.
Meanwhile, experts in India argue that current levels of air pollution represent a public health emergency requiring full emergency mode response from local and national authorities.
The thick blanket of smog is engulfing major cities and other areas. During the bad smoggy days,visibility drops to a few hundred meters, the sun looks like a dull blurry blob, lungs struggle for air while eyes itch and burn. Here are a few tips to deal with those bad days.
Limit your time spent outdoors
It’s bad enough that pollution badly affects people’s lungs, it’s even worse that it discourages the outdoor activities. Try to limit your time spent outdoors. Exercise indoor, enjoy food deliveries at home and play indoor games. Enjoy Home Sweet Home!
Choose the right mask
It might be difficult to find the right mask but avoid surgical masks as they don’t provide proper respiratory protection. Give masks to your whole household, especially those working outside. You can either buy or order online a better quality mask. Go for the one that filters the maximum amount of finer particles of dust and pollution.
Buy an air purifier
Air purifiers filter out harmful particles, kill germs and removes volatile organic compounds that can harm the lungs, liver or kidneys. They aren’t cheap but worth it in the long run. Smart air canon purifier, Beurer LR 200 and Hextio air purifier are good options to buy an air purifier.
Make your home a little greener. Bring home some natural air purifiers like aloe vera, and spider plant that can suck all the pollutants. The plants will not only help with the air quality but will also help as a mood refresher.
