LAHORE – The caretaker Punjab government has formulated short-term and long-term plans to combat smog challenge, which is causing serious health issues among citizens.
The provincial capital of Lahore is most-affected city by smog as it has topped the rankings for most polluted cities for multiple times during this year.
On Thursday, Lahore again topped the charts of being the most polluted city in the world as the Air Quality Index (AQI) measured 306 (hazardous) today.
According to IQAir, PM2.5 concentration in Lahore is currently 51.2 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
The other smog-hit cities include Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Kasur, Sheikupura, Hafizabad, Narowal, Nankana Sahib and Sialkot.
To cope with the situation, caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has unveiled a comprehensive plan.
Short Term Plan:
1. Restrictions in 6 divisions for immediate impact. ( Lahore, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan)
2. Sunday market closures.
3. Saturday openings post 3pm for markets, restaurants and offices.
4. School closures Fri-Sun for safety.
5. Doubling water sprinkling in smog-affected areas.
6. Sunday on Mall Road Lahore reserved for cyclists.
Long Term Plan:
1. Subsidies for 10000 students’ electric bikes.
2. Govt employees can lease electric bikes, fostering pollution-free transportation.
3. Installation of ionisation towers to combat smog.
4. Prepared for cloud seeding on Nov 29, ’23, if conditions permit.
Punjab to close schools, colleges in smog-hit cities for three days
