LAHORE: A fresh spell of westerly waves will bring rain right from the Northern areas to the plains of Punjab from Saturday onwards until Monday night, said sources from Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
They said the cloud-laden westerly waves will keep reining the skies from 5th of November till 7th of November. A maximum of 25 millimeter rain in the upper and a minimum of 2 millimeter rain in the plain areas of Punjab are expected ahead, they added.
Among the plain areas, the districts of Lahore, Okara, Sahiwal and Multan are expected to experience a change in weather which is likely to couple with cold winds from the upper parts of the country to mitigate the ongoing impact of smog.
Accordingly, the temperature, both on the maxim and minimum sides, is likely to drop by 2 degree Celsius, they added. The current maximum temperature in the province of Punjab is being recorded as 32C while the minimum as 17, which would register a drop ahead.
Director PMD Shahid Abbas said another spell of westerly wave would again hit the area after a gap of week which would ultimately reduce the smog factor in the city. It may be noted that smog has been irritating the provincial administration over the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, the sources from the provincial administration said the government is serious in investing in measures to control air pollution. The civil administration has also decided to take the community levelers on board in order to create awareness on environmental issues.
A prime reason behind the decision is a considerable drop in pollution level in the province comparing with the corresponding period. In a recent meeting chaired by the provincial chief secretary, it was pointed out that the pollution level in the air was about 30 percent less than the previous year. Such a substantial reduction impressed the authority as well as relevant departments and it was decided that the chamber of commerce and industry leadership should be taken into confidence by sharing the results of anti-pollution measures in the city.
It may be noted that both the department for industries and the environment protection agency have been actively pursuing the brick kilns and furnace factories for a change in technology as well as suspension of production activities during the wee hours. Similarly, the Punjab government has activated the Board of Revenue field staff in controlling stubble burning over the past few years.
All these measures have borne fruit and the latest data suggests that the pollution level has reduced by 20 to 30 percent this year. Therefore, it has been decided to take the results to the chambers and trade associations to apprise the business community about it, which was impossible without their cooperation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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