Lahore to get Pakistan’s first smog towers as city struggles to breathe

6 months ago 52

Lahore, a city of over 20 million people remains shrouded under a thick blanket of smog, and now the government has announced stern measures like installing air purifying towers to combat air pollution.

PM2.5 pollution levels reach 20 times higher than the WHO limit. Amid the alarming situation, Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced that the government will install a dozen air filter ionization units or smog towers to curb health hazards.

These elevated large fans are used to take polluted air top and push filtered air out, reducing particle sizes some microns.

Punjab is considering to limit combustion engine bikes and people would be allowed to travel on electric bikes. The interim government said government is taking all possible steps to control air pollution and it approached Chinese experts.

In this regard, authorities will take help of China. A technical team from Punjab will make visit to chalk out future strategy.

Interim CM also urged masse to wear masks, and confirmed plans to induce artificial rain.

He made the announcement as 10 districts in Punjab were under lockdown today while schools and other educational institutions are closed.

Lahore Air Quality Index AQI

Hazardous smog continues to choke Lahore on Friday with its air quality index as high as 373, making it again the most polluted city in the world. The PM2.5 concentration in Lahore is currently 64.6 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value. The minimum temperature of the city will remain at 16°C while the maximum temperature will rise to 26°C.