Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments
Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) on Tuesday improved slightly to come under the 1000-mark, but remained hazardous at 856, according to Swiss group IQAir’s live ratings.
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The AQI was, however, significantly lower than the 1,900 that it touched in places earlier this month. A score of 0-50 is considered good, and anything over 300 is considered hazardous to health. Several parts of South Asia are engulfed by a toxic haze each winter as cold air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from farm fires.
Punjab has blamed its toxic air this year on pollution wafting in from India, where northern parts have also been battling hazardous air, and has said it will take the issue up with the neighbouring country through its foreign ministry. According to the latest IQAir data, Delhi’s AQI is at 301.
UN Says Punjab Province Children In Danger
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The UN children’s agency on Monday warned that the health of 11 million children in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is in danger because of air pollution that experts say has become a fifth season in recent years.
Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments.
UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, in a statement, urged the government to make urgent and greater efforts to reduce air pollution for the 11 million affected children under the age of 5 and others.
“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12 per cent of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution,” Fadil said. “The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.” Pakistan has shut schools until November 17 in parts of Punjab as part of measures aimed at protecting children’s health. Authorities on Friday ordered the closure of all parks and museums for 10 days, and they have been urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.
Though the government has ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks, that has been widely disregarded. The government has also said it was looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution.
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Curbs In Place
Pakistan’s Punjab province has banned most outdoor activities and ordered shops, markets and malls in some areas to close early from Monday to curb illnesses caused by intense air pollution.
The province has closed educational institutions and public spaces like parks and zoos until Nov. 17 in places including Lahore, the world’s most polluted city in terms of air quality, according to Swiss group IQAir’s live ratings.
The districts of Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala have seen an unprecedented rise in patients with respiratory diseases, eye and throat irritation, and pink eye disease, the Punjab government said in an order issued late on Sunday.
The new restrictions will also remain in force until November 17.
“The spread of conjunctivitis/ pink eye disease due to bacterial or viral infection, smoke, dust or chemical exposure is posing a serious and imminent threat to public health,” the Punjab government said.
While outdoor activities including sports events, exhibitions and festivals, and dining at restaurants have been prohibited, “unavoidable religious rites” are exempt from this direction, the order said.
Outlets like pharmacies, oil depots, dairy shops and fruit and vegetable shops have similarly been exempted from the directions to close by 8 pm (local time).
(With agency inputs)
