ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan’s Punjab province has warned of a rise in smog levels in major cities in the coming days, citing stable and dry weather conditions.
Cold, heavy air traps pollutants, including vehicle emissions, industrial smoke and dust, from November to mid-December. The seasonal crisis is often exacerbated by crop residue burning and lasts until February.
Lahore, a city of around 14 million people and the capital of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, this month began using anti-smog guns for the first time in an effort to reduce airborne pollutants.
On Friday, the PDMA said calm wind pattern, lower temperatures and humidity may prevent pollutants from dispersing and causing thick layers of smog in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar and Khanpur districts.
“The rise in smog levels may trigger an increase in respiratory illnesses, asthma cases, and other pollution-related health problems,” the authority said.
