(Adnkronos) – Lahore is suffocating. In this Pakistani megalopolis, which has always had the reputation of being one of the most polluted cities in the world, record levels of smog were recorded over the weekend. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was equal to over one thousand, according to IQAir, and an AQI equal to or greater than 301 is considered “hazardous”. Elementary schools will remain closed for the entire week. In the midst of what they call a “green lockdown”, there are those who speak of an “apocalypse” in a city of 14 million inhabitants and those who point the finger at their neighboring and eternal rival, India.
Pollution levels in Lahore were so high as to be “off the charts”, commented Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer from Lahore, who sits on the Pakistan Climate Change Council. “It’s an apocalypse”, he comments in statements reported by the New York Times.
Experts attribute the smog problem in Lahore to fires lit by farmers in the fields, heavy vehicle traffic, factory emissions, weather conditions, and not-so-strict regulations. Smog levels are usually at prohibitive levels in the period between October and February, with temperatures dropping and ‘trapping’ the smog. But this year – according to Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Administration of Punjab – the emergency seems to never end. It is a battle that the authorities have been fighting for eight months, he claims. Pakistani officials point the finger at neighboring India, because fires are also lit in the fields there and, says Aurangzeb, the winds blow towards Pakistan.
“The wind direction is bringing the air from India to Pakistan – said Azma Bokhari, Punjab Information Minister, in remarks reported by Indian media – and India doesn’t seem to be taking this issue as seriously as it should”. “Today – she reiterates – Delhi is first for smog levels, followed by Lahore.” And Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab, appealed for “climate diplomacy” for a common fight against smog.
The population of Lahore has been urged to stay indoors and wear masks. Staying outdoors is not recommended for people with respiratory or heart problems and the elderly. Starting today, reports the BBC, 50% of office workers will be working from home.
What in Pakistan they call a “green lockdown” has been in force since last week in eleven areas of the city, the second largest in Pakistan. It has led, in fact, to the return of masks, but also restrictions for three-wheeled rickshaws, widely used in the city for travel and already partially banned to reduce emissions, as well as for barbecues, restaurants, and furnaces. Three months of ‘vacation’ had also already been announced for children with a history of lung diseases or respiratory problems, but the AQI – which measures the concentrations of pollutants in the air and the risks to health – had not yet exceeded one thousand.
