Lahore has beeen rated the most polluted city in the world. Image: Foreign Policy.
(The Post News)- The eastern city in Pakistan, Lahore, has been shrouded in toxic smog for days as surging pollution spurs authorities to curb activities and set up a panel to oversee preventative measures. Pakistan, being the second-largest city after the southern port city of Karachi, has a population of about 13 million and is a key hub for commerce, banking, and industry.
On Wednesday, Lahore was rated the world’s most polluted city, having an air quality index (AQI) score of 1165, more than 120 times the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) by Swiss group IQAir, which draws data from 14 regional monitoring stations. On Sunday, pollution reached historic levels on the outskirts of the city, with a score of 1,900. Every winter, several regions of South Asia suffer from pollution because cold air retains pollutants such as emissions, dust, and smoke from farmers burning rice crop remains before planting wheat.
Officials from Lahore have blamed pollution on vehicle fuel of poor quality, as well as construction and industrial activity previously. However, the provincial government has blamed toxic air coming in from neighboring India, where northern regions are also battling hazardous air this year. On Wednesday, IQAir said that New Delhi, India’s capital, has a score of 299, making it the world’s second-most polluted city.
In order to curb this problem, the government has closed its primary schools, banned three-wheelers or rickshaws, put some building work on hold, and people were told to stay indoors. The government has also set up a “smog war room” in order to monitor the situation and oversee action to combat pollution. Pakistan’s most populated province of Punjab anticipates approaching India through the foreign ministry for talks to thrash out a solution to the toxic air. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab senior minister, says that they are hopeful that India will respond positively to this plan.
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