Multan air quality index hits 492 as smog returns to Punjab
Daily Times reports Multan as Pakistan's most polluted city on Saturday, with Lahore at 273, and a cyclists' smog awareness rally set for Sunday morning.
Multan recorded an Air Quality Index reading of 492 on Saturday, the highest in Pakistan, as smog returned to central and southern Punjab with the start of winter. Daily Times published the readings.
Raiwind recorded 316, Rahim Yar Khan 304, Faisalabad 287 and Lahore 273, the paper reported. New Delhi had the worst reading among world cities in the same index, at 539.
The paper reported that Punjab has in previous years grappled with severe air pollution that rose to alarming levels and caused serious public health problems. Lahore was covered for days by smog, a mixture of fog and pollutants that includes low-grade diesel fumes and smoke from seasonal agricultural burning as temperatures fall. At one point the city's pollution measured more than 80 times the level the World Health Organization considers safe. The government closed schools and restricted the timings of restaurants, other businesses and markets.
More than 200 cyclists, among them families, young people and children, are expected to join a smog awareness rally on Sunday to press for environmental protection and public participation in efforts to improve air quality. The rally starts from Monal at 5:15am and will be led by Deputy Commissioner Lahore Muhammad Ali Ejaz and Chief Traffic Officer Syed Abdul Raheem Shirazi.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Headquarters Rao Rafeh Afzal reviewed arrangements at a meeting attended by representatives of the traffic police, DIG Operations, Rescue 1122, the Lahore Waste Management Company, Chief Officer MCL and Cycle Hub. The meeting covered security, medical cover and cleanliness along the route. Rescue 1122 was directed to deploy ambulances, mobile teams and motorbike units to handle emergencies, and the waste management company was asked to clean the route before the rally.
Afzal said the rally was part of efforts to bring citizens into campaigns about smog and environmental protection. He urged people to take part in such initiatives for a cleaner and healthier Lahore.
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