Smoggy conditions upset twin-city residents

Islamabad

Residents of twin cities of  Islamabad and Rawalpindi woke up to smog on Friday morning complaining about breathing difficulty and eye irritation.

Though not as heavy as it’s reported in parts of Punjab, especially Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur, smoggy conditions slightly lowered visibility as well.

The people used face masks and sunglasses as a precautionary measure against the phenomenon that environmentalists called smog.

“It is smog, a kind of air pollution, which is the blend of smoke and fog in the air. It is caused when pollutants don’t get sucked up into the atmosphere,” said Farzana Altaf Shah of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency.

The official blamed the rather-new-atmospheric-phenomenon on low rainfall, large-scale burning of crops and heavy vehicular traffic and said it would ease only after rains fell.

She also called for better public awareness of forestation and other pollution abatement steps. Ironically, weathermen don’t see much respite from smog in the days ahead forecasting light showers. They even warned November and December would have below average rainfall.

“Due to stable climatic conditions, smoggy conditions are likely to stay put in near future. However, a shallow westerly wave will produce light to moderate rain in northeast Punjab and upper KP and snow over mountains in the next few days thus bringing little relief from smoggy conditions,” Imran Siddiqui of the Pakistan PMD.

The weatherman also said less than average rainfall was expected in the current and next months and therefore, smog, fog and mist would remain a ‘prevalent phenomena’.

He said there was a high likelihood of higher concentration of smog in urban areas, mostly Punjab and KP. Siddiqui said he didn’t hear about the possibility of artificial rain to end smoggy conditions.

The dense smog has caused many accidents across the Punjab claiming over a dozen lives. Also, scores of people turned to hospitals and clinics with complaints of irritated throat and eyes.

Samina Khan, a 35-year-old workingwoman, said her eyes turned red and had irritation when she stepped out to drive children to school. “I had to leave office early because irritated eyes forced me to go for a medical examination. The doctor blamed the problem on smog and prescribed me eye drops and rest,” she said.

Dr Wasim Khawaja of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences said a high incidence of problems caused by smog, especially breathing difficulties, coughing, and eye and throat irritation, was reported in his and other hospitals in the city.

He said as precautionary measures against smoggy conditions, the people, especially children, should avoid stepping out unnecessarily and use face masks and avoid dust when outdoors.

At the same time, the physician urged civic agencies to ensure the sprinkling of water on roads, installation of mist fountains, and crackdown on those polluting environment.