The air in the provincial capital Lahore is becoming toxic for residents, while several opportunities to induce artificial rain in October have been missed. The city’s air quality has been severely affected, and medical experts have advised citizens to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities. According to details, smog has once again engulfed Lahore, which remained at the top of the list of the world’s most polluted cities on most days this month.

The extremely hazardous air has severely reduced visibility, while wind speed was recorded at only 5 kilometres per hour. Experts said that if the Punjab government had arranged sufficiently heavy rainfall across the city during cloudy days in October, air pollution could have been eliminated from the entire city at least once. They said that whenever experts contacted Punjab government officials responsible for environmental affairs, the officials repeated that they were going to use technology capable of eliminating microscopic pollutants from the air without causing rain.

However, experts said they had no information about any such technology from specialists around the world. Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index (AQI) indicates that pollution, or smog, in Lahore’s air is continuously increasing and causing illnesses in the city. In view of the severe air pollution, medical experts have instructed citizens to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities. If going outside is unavoidable, they should use a filter mask, such as an N95, and keep the windows and doors of their homes and offices closed.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)