A man crosses a street engulfed in smog in Lahore on November 16, 2024. Pakistan’s most populated province of Punjab on on November 15 extended school closures in smog-hit major cities by a week, with thousands hospitalised as the country battles record air pollution.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Pakistan’s Punjab government on Friday (November 16, 2024) declared smog a “health crisis” and used artificial rain in several cities across the province in an effort to combat its hazardous levels, as millions reported breathing problems and other respiratory issues over the past month.

This is the second time the Punjab government went for artificial rain. In December last year, the government had a successful cloud seeding experiment in Lahore.

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“The cloud seeding experiment conducted in Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Gujar Khan cities of Punjab resulted in rainfall in Jhelum and Gujar Khan on Friday,” the Punjab government said in a late night statement.

It said it held a successful trial of artificial rain using local technology. “Cloud seeding was carried out at 2pm Friday and within hours, it rained in Jhelum and Gujar Khan. There is also a strong likelihood of rainfall in Lahore after this experiment. The artificial rainfall will significantly help reduce smog,” it said.

Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference here, senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the Punjab government has imposed a “health emergency” in Lahore and Multan districts to combat dense smog blanketing the province of about 130 million population for the last few weeks.

According to the provincial health department, around two million cases of respiratory disease, besides complaints of asthma, chest infections, conjunctivitis and heart issues, have been reported in hospitals during the last month.

Dense smog caused by toxic pollutants has engulfed several cities in Punjab with Lahore and Multan being the worst hit.

The AQI (air quality index) reading in Multan has already crossed 2,000 twice, setting a new record for air pollution.

Aurangzeb said the hospital data did not give the complete picture of the adverse health impacts caused by smog as it only included reported cases.

“Many people suffering from respiratory problems don’t visit hospitals to seek doctors’ advice and instead self-medicate at home or visit informal dispensaries,” she said.

“At the moment, the smog crisis has turned into a health crisis. Various factors contributing to smog include transport, agriculture, energy, our habits, behaviour, and actions towards nature,” she said, adding that the Punjab government had made a 10-year smog mitigation plan to address the issue.

According to the government, the artificial rain project was a collaborative effort involving Pakistan’s scientific research and development experts (SPD), Army Aviation, PARCO and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Punjab government, culminating in the successful artificial rain.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz congratulated all the institutions and scientific experts involved in the achievement.

“Today, dedication, hard work, and expertise have written a new chapter in the history of Punjab. The entire nation is proud of the team,” she said.

Lahore and some other cities of Punjab are facing the worst pollution for the last few weeks.

The Punjab government has taken various measures, including shutting schools, cracking down on vehicles emitting excessive smoke, and prohibiting barbecues and visits to recreational places, to combat smog.

These measures have, however, proven insufficient to address the crisis.

New Delhi:

The Air Quality Index in Pakistan’s Lahore stood at 1,900 on Sunday, its highest ever, prompting the country to write a letter to the Indian government to open a dialogue on the issue.

Even as the AQI in the city of 14 million people stood at least six times more than the limit defined by the World Health Organisation, the government imposed emergency measures like closing schools and issuing work-from-home mandates.

The level of deadly PM2.5 pollutants — fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — peaked at 610 — more than 40 times the limit of 15 in a 24-hour period considered healthy by the WHO.

Citizens have been urged to stay indoors, keep doors and windows shut, and avoid unnecessary travel, while smog counters have been set up at hospitals, Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb said. The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce the pollution levels.

Pakistan said the situation has arisen due to winds carrying pollution from neighbouring India. Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Raja Jahangir Anwar told CNN, “We need climate diplomacy, as a regional and global issue.”

“We are suffering in Lahore in a way due to the eastern wind corridor coming from India. We are not blaming anyone, it’s a natural phenomenon,” he said.

Like in northern India, pollution spikes during the winters in Pakistan, leading to health complications among residents, including breathing difficulties, coughing and burning eyes. Smog is particularly pronounced in winter, when cold, denser air traps emissions from poor-quality fuels used to power the city’s vehicles and factories at ground level.

Meanwhile the AQI in Delhi stood at 276 on Monday afternoon.

AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI rating between 201 to 300 is more harmful and AQI over 300 has been extremely hazardous.

Pollution in excess of levels deemed safe by the WHO shortens the life expectancy of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years, according to the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.

According to UNICEF, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution and half of childhood pneumonia deaths are associated with air pollution.