By AFP -Agence France Presse
Pollution level in Pakistani megacity hits new record, says official
Air pollution in Pakistan's second-largest city, Lahore, rose on Saturday, with one official calling it a record level for the air-pollution-plagued megacity.
For days, the city of 14 million has been shrouded in smog, a mixture of haze and pollutants caused by low-quality diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural fires, and winter chill.
The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, peaked at 1,067, well above the level of 300 considered “dangerous,” according to data from IQAir.
“We have never reached a level of 1,000,” Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore, told AFP.
“The air quality index will remain high for the next three or four days,” Anwar said.
The level of the deadly pollutant PM2.5 - fine particles in the air that cause the most damage to health - peaked at 610, more than 40 times the limit of 15 in 24 hours considered healthy by the WHO.
“As a mother, I'm full of anxiety,” 42-year-old Lilly Mirza told AFP from the sweltering city.
“Last year wasn't so bad; it was much better. Someone needs to tell us what happened. Did a pollution bomb go off somewhere?”
Mirza said she felt “completely terrified” after taking her son to a sports match in one of the pollution hotspots: “I came home very stressed.”
Breathing the toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the WHO saying that strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory illnesses can be triggered by prolonged exposure.
Smog is particularly pronounced in winter when cold, denser air traps emissions from low-quality fuels used to power the city's vehicles and factories at ground level.
The smell of toxic fumes has become familiar to 40-year-old painter Rehmat, who goes by a single name.
“What can a poor painter like me do if the government can't solve this? I'll keep wearing the mask and working,” he told AFP.
- Change in school hours - You can no longer stay at home.
Last month, the authorities banned schoolchildren from exercising outdoors until January and adjusted school hours to prevent children from traveling when pollution is most severe.
Children are particularly vulnerable because they have less developed lungs and breathe more quickly, absorbing more air about their size than adults.
Last week, the province's environmental protection agency announced new restrictions on four “hot spots” in the city.
Tuk-tuks equipped with polluting two-stroke engines are banned, as are restaurants that barbecue without filters.
Government offices and private companies will have half of their employees working from home from Monday.
Construction work has been halted, and street vendors and food sellers, who usually cook on open fires, must close at 8 pm.
Pollution that exceeds levels considered safe by the WHO reduces the life expectancy of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
According to UNICEF, around 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution, and half of deaths from childhood pneumonia are linked to air pollution.
str-sbh-ecl/ssy
Comentarios