Smog situation worsens in City

LAHORE:The City continued to witness a very unhealthy atmosphere with an AQI reaching 256 here on Wednesday.

The haze engulfing the City became thicker than the previous days reducing visibility in the early hours as well as night. In day time, the travellers witnessed burning eyes, irritation in the throat and difficulty in breathing.

Various city roads were clogged with vehicles due to the VVIP movement as the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif went to the Governor’s House for a party meeting as well as condole with the governor over his wife’s death.

Clogged traffic was witnessed at Lawrence Road, The Mall, Canal Bank Road, Aiwan-e-Tijarat Road and adjoining areas. Citizens especially the motorcyclists were seen coughing while travelling on the roads and praying for the rain.

On the other hand, Met officials said a westerly wave was affecting western parts and likely to grip upper parts today (Thursday).

They predicted that rain-wind/thunderstorm (snowfall over mountains/isolated hailstorm) was likely in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Islamabad and Upper/Central Punjab while dry weather was expected elsewhere in the country.

They added that fog/smog was likely to occur at few plain areas of Punjab during morning hours. Wednesday’s minimum temperature was recorded at Leh where mercury dropped to -04°C, while in Lahore, it was 16.7°C and maximum was 27.4°C.

Precautions stressed to avoid side-effects

Dean Institute of Public Health Professor Dr Zarfishan Tahir has said increasing air pollution is a direct threat to human health and the amount of carbon dioxide, smoke, dust and toxic gases in the air has enhanced due to which overexposure is leading to a significant increase in eye diseases, chest infections, coughs, colds, asthma and respiratory diseases.

Therefore, people should avoid going out unnecessarily to protect themselves from the harmful effects of smog and make sure to use a facemask while going out and wash the face and eyes with fresh water to avoid eye irritation, redness (conjunctivitis) so that dust particles should be washed.

Dr Zarfishan Tahir, while expressing her expert opinion about the smog situation, said that the weather is more harmful for chronic respiratory and asthma patients and the symptoms of the such patients also intensify due to the increasing poor quality of Air Quality Index (AQI), especially children and old age people and pregnant women are more vulnerable so special care should be taken for the people of the mentioned group.

She said that on the directions of the CM, health department has taken various measures to improve air quality index, reduce pollution and anti-smog awareness campaign has also been launched by the government.

She said public holiday on Friday will help reduce traffic flow on roads resulting in improving AQI. Dr Zarfishan said that the people also have a responsibility to avoid activities that lead to increase in air pollution for the sake of improving public health and protecting their own health.