 "Pakistan's Punjab turns into gas chamber: AQI in Multan dips to 2,500")
The air pollution crisis in Pakistan's Punjab province has worsened even before the arrival of winter, with the air quality index breaching the 1,000 mark in multiple cities. The city of Multan recorded an unprecedented AQI of 2,553 on Friday morning, prompting officials to shut down parks and other public places in view of the situation.
In Multan, the largest city in Pakistan’s Punjab, toxic particulate matter 2.5 concentrations stood at 947 micrograms per cubic metre, according to a report in Dawn. For context, this is 189.4 times above the normal level guidelines of the World Health Organisation, which says that anything above 5 micrograms per cubic metre is hazardous.
Other major cities in Punjab also are experiencing deteriorating air quality, for which Pakistan has been blaming India. Many cities remained engulfed in smog, triggering a ‘smart lockdown’, under which officials have directed shops to close by 8 pm. Vehicles emitting smoke and people burning stubble are also under the scanner.
Pakistan officials blame India
Apart from public places, all schools have been closed in as many as 18 districts of Punjab province till November 18. Officials have blamed “unprecedented” wind patterns for the rising air pollution levels in the region, Dawn reported. They said that a “wind pool” has entered into the region from Indian cities of Jaipur and Bikaner, causing the pollution crisis.
In view of the situation, the Punjab government declared smog a ‘calamity’ last week. A mixture of smoke and fog, smog is a cocktail of pollutants, which is harmful for human health and can cause respiratory illness.
In India, Delhi is also facing a similar situation of air pollution crisis. The AQI was logged at 359 at 9:00 am in the national capital on Saturday, which indicates ‘very poor’ air quality.
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Pollution level categories:
0-50: Good
51-100: Satisfactory
101-200: Moderate
201-300: Poor
301-400: Very poor
401-500: Severe