AGL 37.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.29 (-0.76%)
AIRLINK 142.25 Increased By ▲ 5.91 (4.33%)
BOP 9.02 Decreased By ▼ -0.18 (-1.96%)
CNERGY 5.72 Increased By ▲ 1.00 (21.19%)
DCL 9.25 Increased By ▲ 0.40 (4.52%)
DFML 39.40 Increased By ▲ 1.06 (2.76%)
DGKC 88.50 Increased By ▲ 3.05 (3.57%)
FCCL 38.40 Increased By ▲ 3.25 (9.25%)
FFBL 77.40 Increased By ▲ 1.19 (1.56%)
FFL 13.64 Increased By ▲ 0.98 (7.74%)
HUBC 109.21 Increased By ▲ 0.51 (0.47%)
HUMNL 15.06 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (2.24%)
KEL 5.75 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (3.05%)
KOSM 8.20 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (3.02%)
MLCF 44.35 Increased By ▲ 3.57 (8.75%)
NBP 73.00 Increased By ▲ 2.06 (2.9%)
OGDC 191.89 Decreased By ▼ -3.36 (-1.72%)
PAEL 27.68 Increased By ▲ 0.72 (2.67%)
PIBTL 7.99 Increased By ▲ 0.53 (7.1%)
PPL 167.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-0.22%)
PRL 26.80 Increased By ▲ 0.61 (2.33%)
PTC 20.70 Increased By ▲ 0.36 (1.77%)
SEARL 97.60 Increased By ▲ 4.85 (5.23%)
TELE 8.15 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (3.95%)
TOMCL 35.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.49 (-1.38%)
TPLP 9.91 Increased By ▲ 1.00 (11.22%)
TREET 17.30 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.06%)
TRG 60.99 Increased By ▲ 1.72 (2.9%)
UNITY 31.61 Increased By ▲ 0.59 (1.9%)
WTL 1.47 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (7.3%)
BR100 11,091 Increased By 189.7 (1.74%)
BR30 33,242 Increased By 587.4 (1.8%)
KSE100 103,289 Increased By 1931.6 (1.91%)
KSE30 31,966 Increased By 478.1 (1.52%)

LAHORE: Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that easterly winds coming from India are pushing air from Amritsar and Chandigarh into Lahore. This has caused the city’s air quality index (AQI) to spike close to 1000 over the past two days.

Addressing a press conference and talking to a group of journalists here on Sunday, she noted that since the air speeds up while crossing the eastern corridor and then stagnates over Lahore, it intensifies the pollution, creating critically high AQI levels in the morning, which gradually decrease to below 200 by midday. Further deterioration of AQI is expected in the coming week, she said.

Aurangzeb announced that due to these factors, all private and public educational institutions, from playgroup to grade five, will remain closed from November 4 onward. This includes private schools, which are also mandated to comply. Authorities will use the week to conduct research, mapping, and studies to reassess and determine if extended school closures are needed. Preparations for two additional “green lockdowns” are also under way.

She emphasised that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has mobilized all departments over the past eight months to reduce smog, adhering to a set timeline.

Air monitor records pollution level in Lahore 80 times above WHO limit

Farmers are being provided with 1,000 super-seeders at a 60% subsidy, with a goal to supply 5,000 in total.

These machines are also available on a rental basis at the union council level to discourage farmers from burning rice crop residue.

Aurangzeb noted that unlike COVID-19, which spread through air travel, smog enters through cross-border wind corridors, carrying pollution from neighbouring areas and combining with local emissions.

The chief minister will be reaching out to India via diplomatic channels to address the issue, urging critics to avoid politicizing what she described as a matter of generational survival.

The government is actively implementing its own measures, including the closure of 550 kilns, shutdown of factories, and suspension of construction activities that fail to comply with SOPs. Vehicles emitting excessive smoke are also being impounded. Artificial rain technology is under development but currently lacks sufficient clouds for deployment.

The senior minister also stated that regular road sprinkling is under way, and the Environmental Protection Department has been restructured, increasing human resources, monitoring, and capacity. Plans are in place to introduce an electric mass transport system. She appealed to farmers to refrain from burning crop residue and adopt new technology.

She urged the public to ensure their vehicles are fit, use quality fuel, avoid burning garbage, wear masks, and keep children and the elderly indoors with windows and doors closed. Any smoke-related issues should be reported to helpline 1373.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

Comments

Comments are closed.

Rebirth Nov 04, 2024 06:42pm
Now how will Punjabi kids score in the 1000s in government tests? Punjabi children are the smartest in Pakistan. How will they create records in the British Cambridge system or pass Microsoft tests?
thumb_up Recommended (0)