LAHORE: The Punjab Environment Department has taken steps to prevent smog, banning the entry of heavy traffic into Lahore on Fridays and Saturdays.
Measures have been increased to control smog in Lahore. Heavy traffic has been banned from entering Lahore on Fridays and Saturdays, while entry will be allowed from Sunday to Thursday.
According to the Environment Department, the decision does not apply to trucks carrying oil, medicines, food, and hospital supplies. The ban will be in effect from November 8 to January 31, and a formal notification has been issued by the Punjab Environment Department.
Earlier, in light of the worsening smog situation, the Punjab government announced the closure of government and private primary schools in Lahore for a week, and a formal notification has been issued.
Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, while holding a press conference in Lahore, said that Lahore’s air quality index (AQI) exceeded 1,000 in the morning, she noted that wind from Chandigarh, India, had come towards Pakistan, affecting many areas within Lahore.
She explained that strong winds from India caused Lahore’s AQI to exceed 1,000, and near the border, it went up to 1,900. When the wind ceased, the AQI dropped to between 180 and 200.
This morning, however, the wind speed from India increased significantly, while Lahore’s own wind remained at zero. As a result, Lahore’s AQI reached 1,017.
The senior provincial minister added that surveillance is ongoing at the local level, with relevant staff active in the field.
She made a special request to farmers not to burn crop residues and to use superseeders instead, as they are more effective. She mentioned that farmers could rent superseeders and that arrests had been made to ensure compliance.
