Residents of the Punjab province of Pakistan have been struggling with record air pollution since the beginning of November. A large cloud of thick fog is seen over Pakistan and neighboring India, where the situation is also dire, in a photo taken by a NASA satellite.
Air quality in the cities of Punjab province is one of the worst in the world. For almost a week, the air quality index in Lahore, which has a population of 14 million, has regularly exceeded 1,000. It is estimated that air quality above 180 is bad and above 300 is dangerous. In some places, the concentration of PM2.5 dust pollution is more than 110 times higher than the safe level of the World Health Organization.
Cold air keeps many pollutants from burning agricultural waste and car exhaust fumes. Smog also reaches Pakistan from India, where pollution levels are also high. In the province of Delhi, where the capital of the country is located, the air quality is many times higher than the permissible limits.
Heavy fog occurs in this region every year during autumn and winter, but this time the situation is extremely bad.
A satellite image released by the US space agency on November 3 shows smoke covering Punjab province and large parts of India, reaching as far as the capital New Delhi.
Smog over Lahore and New Delhi on November 3, as seen in a satellite image from NASA's Earth Observatory/tvnmeteo.pl
Lots of restrictions for residents
Due to such severe air pollution, schools and government institutions in Punjab have to be closed till November 17. On Friday, local authorities also closed all parks, playgrounds, museums, zoos and historical sites in 18 districts for 10 days. Outdoor activities, including sporting events, exhibitions and festivals, were banned on Monday. The opening hours of shops and markets have also been significantly reduced so that fewer people leave their homes.
Abdullah Fadil, the representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan said on Monday that the health of 11 million children is at risk due to smoke. He emphasized that previously 12 percent of the deaths of children under the age of five were caused by air pollution. – A doubling or tripling of the amount of pollutants in the air has disastrous consequences, especially for children and pregnant women, – he emphasized.
Smog in the city of LahorePAP/EPA/RAHAT DAR
The AP noted that the Pakistani government had mandated the wearing of masks, but this was widely ignored. The government has also announced that it is investigating methods of artificial rainfall to combat pollution – a move being considered in India.
PAP, CNN, NASA, tvnmeteo.pl
Main image credit: NASA Earth Observatory
