Smog to enter fifth season

Islamabad : Smog will enter its fifth season, especially in Islamabad, Lahore, and its surroundings and it is likely to slow down vehicular traffic, increase the probability of accidents and cause flight cancellations.

According to a report prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), the prominent causes of smog include regular pollution with fossil fuel burning with lack of pollution control technology in vehicles.

Among other sources of pollution include the burning of municipal and industrial waste, bricks kilns that again use dirty fuel such as rubber tyres, burning of crop residue, and dust from construction sites.

Solutions provided by World Health Organization (WHO) which are adopted by various countries in order to combat air pollution includes investment in energy-efficient power generation; improving domestic, industrial and municipal waste management mechanism; reducing agricultural waste incineration, forest fires and certain agro-forestry activities; making greener and more compact cities with energy-efficient buildings; providing universal access to clean, affordable fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting; and developing safe and affordable public transport systems and cycle-friendly network.

Additionally, there are also certain artificial yet technical measures to contest smog that include gas-to-liquid technology in fuel that is more environmentally friendly; usage of hydrogen fuels additive that can reduce the emission of pollutants; usage of photo-catalytic materials that can remove the pollutants from the air in the presence of sunlight; and air purification like smog free towers that can suck the pollutants from the air and emit the clean air in the atmosphere.

An official of the climate change ministry said “The federal and provincial governments have been pursuing a joint plan to deal with the issue of smog. Our efforts will yield results and smog will be reduced considerably in the coming years.”