EPD to install smog clean tower in City

LAHORE : Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has planned to install a smog clean tower, first of its kind across the country, in the provincial capital to control air pollution.

The smog clean tower, developed by the EPD will eliminate smog and will be installed at the area of Mehmood Booti, where most of the pollution generating industries situated and the location was selected due to the high level of air pollution.

A senior EPD official said the department was carrying out different experiments after which the installation and calibration of the tower will be done. He said the project will be fully functional by December end.

The smog clean tower has the ability to clean toxic particles in the air and will play an important role in reducing air pollution in the city.

Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has termed this initiative as a revolutionary step towards environmental protection. She said that the use of modern technology to control a serious problem like smog was the need of the hour and this tower will prove to be a model not only for Lahore but also for the entire country. The government is taking all possible steps to address environmental challenges, she concluded.

Meanwhile, the average AQI of the city was 177, which came in the category of unhealthy while the PM2.5 concentrations was currently 18.5 times the World Health Organization annual PM2.5 guideline value.

The most polluted city localities included Polo Ground Cantt (250), Hiking & Mountaineering Club GCU (221), Shahdara (215), Valencia Town (209), University of Management and Technology (204), Askari 10 (191), Bedian Road (188) and MM Alam Road (184). The cold wave continued to persisted in the city while Met office predicted similar weather conditions for the next 24 hours.