Smog crisis intensifies as toxic air from India engulfs Punjab, KP districts

LAHORE: The ongoing smog crisis in Pakistan has intensified as the air carrying toxins from India engulfed various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Punjab whereas Lahore retains its position on top of the global pollution charts.

The air quality index (AQI) in the provincial capital was 613 around 10am on the real-time list of most polluted cities in the world by Swiss group IQ Air.

Meanwhile, (PM2.5) pollutants — the fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — was recorded at 382.2, which is 76.4 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.

After affecting various cities in Punjab, smog spread beyond the province, blanketing some of the districts in KP, where citizens complained of eye and throat infections and breathing issues.

After Punjab’s Multan — where the AQI was recorded at 587 last night — KP capital Peshawar ranked the third most polluted city in the country, with an AQI of 587, a level deemed hazardous by the Swiss air quality monitor. The cities worst hit by air pollution after Lahore and Multan were Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Sargodha where air quality was poor.

Connecting arteries and thoroughfares including Lahore-Sialkot Motorway, Motorways M1, M2 and M5 were blocked at various points causing traffic disruptions in Punjab. Moreover, roads connecting Punjab with Sindh and inter-provincial border areas were also hit by smog.

Multiple casualties were reported in separate road accidents due to dense smog and consequent low visibility.

In Ghotki, a woman was killed and a man was injured in an accident on the National Highway near Ghotki, while another woman and her two children were killed in a separate accident in Gojra when a tractor trolley ran over a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, two others were killed and nine people were injured when a passenger bus rammed into a trailer truck parked on a roadside in Bhakkar.

In the wake of these accidents, traffic police have advised commuters to be extra cautious and only travel during the day hours, while ensuring road safety with the use of fog lights.

As the country battles air pollution, the most populated province of Punjab has ordered public spaces closed and banned all outdoor activities in smog-hit main cities till November 17.