Smog Blankets Pakistan's Lahore
10:34 GMT 18.11.2022 (Updated: 18:03 GMT 08.12.2022)
© AFP 2023 / Arif Ali
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Air pollution has reached dangerous levels in Lahore, the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab, with the city now tagged as having the worst air quality worldwide. Local residents complain that it is almost impossible to breathe fresh air there these days.
Lahore faces severe air pollution conditions every winter, mainly from stubble burning and emissions from transport, industry, and coal-fired power plants, but as commercial, industrial, and automotive activity increases, the scale and intensity of the problem worsens.
“Every winter we suffer from health issues due to the smog. We hear that factories are being sealed and fined, but why is air quality only worsening every year? This is a serious public health crisis and we demand urgent action on the ground by the government,” Samia Rehman, a Lahore-based school teacher, told Pakistani media.
It was also previously reported that exposure to air pollution contributes to the death of millions throughout South Asia each year. According to the website Breathe Life 2030, there are 212,433 annual deaths from air pollution in Pakistan.
The Lahore government has adopted a "zero tolerance policy" for environmental violations and has begun checking and monitoring smoke-producing factories and industrial sites, including ones previously deemed fit. The authorities also have taken a wide range of measures, including shutting down factories and facilities without scrubbers to control emissions, as well as imposing heavy fines and taking action against those who burn stubble in fields and open spaces.
Men walk along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Men walk along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Commuters make their way along a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
