Lahore smog: Pollution hits record levels in Pakistan city

Smog starts slower.

At first, you cannot see it but you can taste it. It smells like something is burning. And the heat falls, the intensity increases.

Then the town and you’re encircled by smoke and fog. You can see it right then. You are walking through the dust, a wet roof of it hanging behind.

You will immediately inhale the bitter air if you do n’t wear a mask or take it off for a moment.

Your mouth may start to itch and hurt. As it gets worse, you start sneezing and coughing. But it’s worse for another: babies, the elderly, those with respiration problems. The facilities are aware of the influx’s impact.

Everything above 300 is regarded as harmful, and Lahore and its 13 million inhabitants have been choking for a year.

Also in a city that experiences dust at this time every year, Pakistani officials have had to work overtime to deal with the crisis.

As part of a so-called “green shutdown,” which has also banned motorbike rickshaws, big vehicles, and motorbike parking from hot spot areas, schools are closed, workers are told to stay home, and residents are urged to stay inside.

By the end of the week, the Punjab province’s largest industry had been declared closed for all time on Saturday and by the close of the week. Parks and animals have also been shut until 17 November.

The problem, according to Nasa professor Pawan Gupta, is that waste levels in the town “typically peak in late November and December”.

” So this is just beginning. He warned that we probably wo n’t have the worst days of pollution until next year.

The dust that has enveloped Lahore, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, can be seen from area- when you part of the cause.

The area between Delhi, India’s capital, and Lahore, Pakistan, is characterized by a heavy layer of dust and a number of fires in its vicinity.

The same photo, six weeks earlier, shows obvious skies and- critically- far fewer fires.

The fires that farmers in Pakistan and India produce are a major contributor to the dust because they quickly clear their fields to prepare for the next crop.

This time, Nasa estimates it will matter “between 15, 500 and 18, 500 burns”, according to Hiren Jethva, a senior studies professor at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Morgan State University, higher than most times.

According to Pakistan’s environment protection specialists, around 30 % of Lahore’s dust comes from across the frontier in India. In an effort to address the problem, the American government attempted to resolve the issue by double the fines issued this year for farmers caught with stubble burning.

However, the releases of Lahore’s five million motorcycles and tens of other vehicles contribute to the city’s air pollution. On Friday, Lahore’s higher court identified large customers emissions as the main cause of the dust, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

Then there are the city’s fringes ‘ industries, such as the coal-fired brick kilns, which add even more pollutants to the air.

And in the last month of the year, it all comes together with Tibet’s frosty air, creating the dust that is already covering the area.

It is obvious that people are tired from the poisonous atmosphere.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ( EPA ) Air Quality Index ( AQI), a value of 50 or below indicates good air quality, while a value above 300 signals Hazardous air quality.

According to WHO recommendations, PM2.5 levels may remain below five on average.

Abid Omar, chairman of Pakistan’s Air Quality Initiative, which collects data from 143 heat quality panels across the country, says the observations in Peshawar “have hit beyond indicator on every day in November”.

” Some areas in Lahore have exceeded 1, 000″, he says, adding:” On Thursday we had one reading of 1, 917 on the AQI level”.

By Tuesday, it was widely reported 900 persons had been admitted to hospital in Lahore with breathing problems.

” More and more people are coming with issues of asthma, itchy necks and coughing”, says Dr Irfan Malik, a cardiologist at one of the biggest facilities in Lahore.

He has now observed a rise in respiratory tract illnesses, which is “particularly worrying because the winter season has not yet experienced our second cold wave.”

Sadia Kashif, a native of Lahore, is a continuous concern about the risk.

” Like every family, I want to see my kids run and play without fearing pollutants”, she tells the BBC.

The painful reminder that our surroundings has turned out to be extremely toxic is what I see my kids struggling with these days with coughs and respiration issues.

But the recent “green shutdown” has left her disappointed.

According to Kashif, “it is simple for the authorities to shut down schools rather than take serious action to address the crisis.”

For years, officials have struggled to find a solution to Lahore’s waste problem.

The government anticipates a break from short-term changes, but claims that long-term fixes, like improving public transportation, does require time.

In the interim, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced this week that she intends to publish a notice to her American rival inviting them to join in” weather diplomacy” because it affects both regions. According to Delhi, Pakistan has not yet heard from them regarding the matter.

Omar argues that weather pollution is a frequent problem rather than a seasonal problem.

He points out that” Lahore is much more poisoned than Delhi, with waste episodes that last longer and accomplish higher mountains.”

And it is getting worse, he believes. According to his own analysis of the data, the level of pollution in October increased by 25 % over the previous year.

He contends that both sides of the border needed to resolve the issue quickly.

The path to cleaner air is clear, but neither India nor Pakistan’s current plans have done enough to substantially lessen waste.

He is skeptical about the potential shift in the near future as a result.

” I tell people, blue skies are an indication of great governance”, Omar says.