The caretaker Punjab government has decided to hire services of Chinese experts to curb smog in the province.
Interim Punjab Environment Minister Bilal Iqbal met Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren in his office on Friday. In the meeting, issues of utilising the services of environmental experts from China were discussed.
“We need the cooperation of the Chinese government to control smog. Lahore’s air quality index has reached to an alarming rate of around 400,” Afzal said.
In this case, he said that the only short-term solution was artificial rain. The Punjab government was keen to establish close links between Chinese universities and experts from environmental institutions, the minister said.
“The smog will end in the next month, but we are looking for a permanent solution to this problem and in the coming years,” he said, “Thirty per cent of the current smog intensity in Lahore is due to winds blowing from India while 70 per cent is due to local transport, industries, and dust.”
The Chinese consul general lauded the steps taken by the Punjab chief minister of Punjab to combat. “Our government is ready to provide technical and technical support for the immediate solution of smog in Punjab.”
The Chinese Consul General proposed the construction of an Air Purification Tower in Lahore, saying that it would help in controlling air pollution.
Meanwhile, the blanket of smog got thicker and deepened again in the provincial metropolis as the situation started intensifying again after reducing the impact of rain again.
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The educational institutions opened last Monday after four holidays. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 16 and a maximum of 26 degrees Celsius.
In this connection, medical experts said that increasing air pollution in the city could prove dangerous for children, the elderly and people suffering from lung and heart diseases. They urged the citizens to ensure the use of masks and glasses while going out of homes.
They said the environment has serious effects on health in a variety of ways, by significantly impacting human health in two ways, either directly by exposing people to harmful carbon-agents or indirectly, by disrupting life-sustaining ecosystems.
Smog and environmental hazards were directly posing threats to human health and well-being and this is rapidly emerging as a serious health concern in the Punjab capital, they added.
