Pollution levels in Pakistan’s biggest cities hit record high, officials say

Air pollution in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, soared on Saturday, hitting an all-time high for the smog-choked metropolis, officials said.

For days, the city of 14 million people has been shrouded in smog, a mixture of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fuel, seasonal agricultural burning and winter cold.

The air quality index, which measures a variety of pollutants, soared to 1,067, well above the “dangerous” level of 300, according to IQAir data.

“We have never reached the 1,000 level,” Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore, told AFP.

“The air quality index will remain high for the next three to four days,” Anwar said.

Levels of the deadly PM2.5 pollutant – the particulate matter in the air that causes the greatest harm to health – reached a peak of 610, more than 40 times the 24-hour limit of 15 considered healthy by the WHO.

“As a mother, I’m full of anxiety,” Lily Mirza, 42, told AFP from the suffocating city.

“Last year was not so bad, much better. Someone please tell us what happened. Did a pollution bomb go off somewhere?”

Mirza said she was “completely scared” and “came home very stressed” after taking her son to a sports match in one of the pollution hotspots.

Breathing toxic air can have devastating health effects, with the WHO saying long-term exposure can cause stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

Smog is especially noticeable in winter, when cold, dense air traps emissions from the low-quality fuels used to power city vehicles and above-ground factories.

The smell of toxic gas has become familiar to Rehmat, a 40-year-old painter known by one name.

“If the government can’t solve this problem, what can a poor painter like me do? I will work with a mask on,” he told AFP.

Class time has changed

Last month, authorities banned outdoor exercise for schoolchildren until January and adjusted school hours to prevent children from traveling during the worst months of pollution.

Children are especially vulnerable because their lungs are underdeveloped and they breathe more quickly than adults because they take in more air relative to their body size.

The state Department of Environmental Protection last week announced new regulations at four “hot spots” in the city.

Tuk-tuks with pollutant-emitting two-stroke engines and restaurants with unfiltered barbecues are banned.

Half of the staff in government agencies and private companies will work from home starting Monday.

Construction work has been halted and street vendors and food stalls, which often cook over open fires, must close at 8pm.

According to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, pollution above levels considered safe by the World Health Organization shortens the lifespan of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years.

Nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution, and half of childhood pneumonia deaths are linked to air pollution, according to UNICEF.

© 2024 AFP