Zulqernain Tahir
November 16, 2024
DAWN
A street is shrouded in smog amid air pollution, during a morning in Multan on November 15. — Reuters
LAHORE: Hundreds of people offer Namaz-i-Istisqa (prayers for rain) for some respite from the smog afflicting the Punjab province, at Badshahi Mosque on Friday. A spokesperson for the provincial environment department attributed this year’s severe pollution to a lack of rain in September and October.—PPI
• Schools closed for another 10 days across the province
• Marriyum says arrangements made in hospitals to treat patients
• Govt holds ‘successful’ cloud seeding trial in Jhelum, Gujar Khan
LAHORE: The Punjab government has declared an emergency in Lahore and Multan, where a “complete lockdown” will be imposed from Fridays to Sundays due to the intensity of smog.
Dense smog, caused by toxic pollutants, has engulfed several cities in Punjab over the past few weeks, with Lahore and Multan being the worst hit. The AQI reading in Multan has already crossed 2,000 twice, setting a new record for air pollution.
“We are declaring a health emergency in Lahore and Multan,” provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference on Friday.
The minister said a complete lockdown will be enforced on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in both cities.
Construction activities in Lahore and Multan have also been suspended for 10 days, and vehicles carrying construction materials will be stopped at the entry points of the cities.
Ms Aurangzeb said the closure of schools has been extended while colleges and universities will hold online classes in Lahore and Multan.
Private and government offices would operate with 50 per cent of staff working from home, while restaurants would operate till 4pm with takeaway services allowed till 8pm.
“We are not imposing restrictions on weddings during this smog season but are preparing for next year,” she said, adding that citizens have been advised to avoid outdoor events.
Late, on Friday, the provincial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified these restrictions.
It said the smog situation is “likely to prevail for a few weeks”; hence, there was a need to “reduce the number of vehicles on roads and restrict construction activities”.
Schools across Punjab, which are already closed, would remain shut till Nov 24, according to the EPA notification.
There will be a complete ban on the entry of heavy transport vehicles in Lahore and Multan.
The vehicles carrying fuel, medicines and food supplies; buses with official certification; ambulances; fire brigades; and vehicles of Rescue 1122 and police will be exempt from the ban.
The lockdown restrictions will not apply to pharmacies, medical facilities, petrol pumps, oil depots, tandoors, flour mills, dairy shops, call centres, postal services and utility companies.
Health crisis
The minister admitted that smog has resulted in a sharp uptick in the number of patients with respiratory illnesses.
The timing of the outpatient department (OPD) has been extended till 8pm in hospitals where essential medicines for respiratory illnesses have also been supplied, the minister said.
Ambulances have been equipped with breathing apparatus and hospital staff leaves have been cancelled. Citizens are advised to wear masks and avoid unnecessary travel on motorcycles.
According to the EPA notification, special counters for smog-related diseases will be established in all government and private hospitals.
Rescue 1122 will “prioritise the calls related to smog diseases” while the health department will ensure an adequate supply of medicines to treat respiratory and other smog-related diseases
10-year policy
While calling smog a “health crisis”, she said the pollution is now affecting other districts in Punjab.
The minister claimed that a 10-year policy had been formulated and government departments have been given specific targets to combat this crisis.
“Twelve AQI calculators have been installed in Lahore, and 50 more will be deployed across Punjab this year,” she added.
The minister lamented Lahore has only 3pc green cover compared to the required 36pc. “The government plans to launch a citywide green plantation drive.”
She said smog would not disappear in six months or a year, and the government is using both short- and long-term strategies to address the issue.
The minister, once again, reiterated that smog was cross-border and urged Pakistan and India jointly “address this environmental crisis, which concerns lives and health”.
The minister said she would like to brief the Lahore High Court on the policy to curb smog, which, she said, was caused by “transport, agriculture, energy, our habits, our behaviour and our actions towards nature”.
She said a number of measures have already been taken to curb smog.
For the first time, the agriculture department has provided 1,000 super seeders to farmers to dispose of their stubble instead of burning it.
Around 800 brick kilns have been demolished, and efforts to expand Lahore’s forest cover are ongoing, she added.
Three vehicle fitness certification stations have been established at Kala Shah Kaku and Thokar Niaz Baig, and smoke detectors have been provided to traffic police to identify vehicles with high emissions.
Cloud seeding
On Friday, the Punjab government also held a successful trial of artificial rain using local technology.
“The cloud seeding experiment conducted in Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Gujar Khan resulted in rainfall in Jhelum and Gujar Khan on Friday,” the Meteorological Department confirmed.
The experiment was conducted at 2pm, and “within hours, it [rained] in Jhelum and Gujar Khan”.
“There is also a strong likelihood of rainfall in Lahore after this experiment. The artificial rainfall will significantly help reduce smog,” the Met Department said.
The experiment was done in collaboration with Army Aviation, Punjab EPA and Suparco, as per the officials.Ms Aurangzeb and CM Sharif have congratulated all institutions and scientific experts involved in the cloud seeding experiment.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2024
• Schools closed for another 10 days across the province
• Marriyum says arrangements made in hospitals to treat patients
• Govt holds ‘successful’ cloud seeding trial in Jhelum, Gujar Khan
LAHORE: The Punjab government has declared an emergency in Lahore and Multan, where a “complete lockdown” will be imposed from Fridays to Sundays due to the intensity of smog.
Dense smog, caused by toxic pollutants, has engulfed several cities in Punjab over the past few weeks, with Lahore and Multan being the worst hit. The AQI reading in Multan has already crossed 2,000 twice, setting a new record for air pollution.
“We are declaring a health emergency in Lahore and Multan,” provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference on Friday.
The minister said a complete lockdown will be enforced on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in both cities.
Construction activities in Lahore and Multan have also been suspended for 10 days, and vehicles carrying construction materials will be stopped at the entry points of the cities.
Ms Aurangzeb said the closure of schools has been extended while colleges and universities will hold online classes in Lahore and Multan.
Private and government offices would operate with 50 per cent of staff working from home, while restaurants would operate till 4pm with takeaway services allowed till 8pm.
“We are not imposing restrictions on weddings during this smog season but are preparing for next year,” she said, adding that citizens have been advised to avoid outdoor events.
Late, on Friday, the provincial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified these restrictions.
It said the smog situation is “likely to prevail for a few weeks”; hence, there was a need to “reduce the number of vehicles on roads and restrict construction activities”.
Schools across Punjab, which are already closed, would remain shut till Nov 24, according to the EPA notification.
There will be a complete ban on the entry of heavy transport vehicles in Lahore and Multan.
The vehicles carrying fuel, medicines and food supplies; buses with official certification; ambulances; fire brigades; and vehicles of Rescue 1122 and police will be exempt from the ban.
The lockdown restrictions will not apply to pharmacies, medical facilities, petrol pumps, oil depots, tandoors, flour mills, dairy shops, call centres, postal services and utility companies.
Health crisis
The minister admitted that smog has resulted in a sharp uptick in the number of patients with respiratory illnesses.
The timing of the outpatient department (OPD) has been extended till 8pm in hospitals where essential medicines for respiratory illnesses have also been supplied, the minister said.
Ambulances have been equipped with breathing apparatus and hospital staff leaves have been cancelled. Citizens are advised to wear masks and avoid unnecessary travel on motorcycles.
According to the EPA notification, special counters for smog-related diseases will be established in all government and private hospitals.
Rescue 1122 will “prioritise the calls related to smog diseases” while the health department will ensure an adequate supply of medicines to treat respiratory and other smog-related diseases
10-year policy
While calling smog a “health crisis”, she said the pollution is now affecting other districts in Punjab.
The minister claimed that a 10-year policy had been formulated and government departments have been given specific targets to combat this crisis.
“Twelve AQI calculators have been installed in Lahore, and 50 more will be deployed across Punjab this year,” she added.
The minister lamented Lahore has only 3pc green cover compared to the required 36pc. “The government plans to launch a citywide green plantation drive.”
She said smog would not disappear in six months or a year, and the government is using both short- and long-term strategies to address the issue.
The minister, once again, reiterated that smog was cross-border and urged Pakistan and India jointly “address this environmental crisis, which concerns lives and health”.
The minister said she would like to brief the Lahore High Court on the policy to curb smog, which, she said, was caused by “transport, agriculture, energy, our habits, our behaviour and our actions towards nature”.
She said a number of measures have already been taken to curb smog.
For the first time, the agriculture department has provided 1,000 super seeders to farmers to dispose of their stubble instead of burning it.
Around 800 brick kilns have been demolished, and efforts to expand Lahore’s forest cover are ongoing, she added.
Three vehicle fitness certification stations have been established at Kala Shah Kaku and Thokar Niaz Baig, and smoke detectors have been provided to traffic police to identify vehicles with high emissions.
Cloud seeding
On Friday, the Punjab government also held a successful trial of artificial rain using local technology.
“The cloud seeding experiment conducted in Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Gujar Khan resulted in rainfall in Jhelum and Gujar Khan on Friday,” the Meteorological Department confirmed.
The experiment was conducted at 2pm, and “within hours, it [rained] in Jhelum and Gujar Khan”.
“There is also a strong likelihood of rainfall in Lahore after this experiment. The artificial rainfall will significantly help reduce smog,” the Met Department said.
The experiment was done in collaboration with Army Aviation, Punjab EPA and Suparco, as per the officials.Ms Aurangzeb and CM Sharif have congratulated all institutions and scientific experts involved in the cloud seeding experiment.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2024
Breathless Punjab
DAWN
Editorial
Editorial
Published November 16, 2024
PUNJAB’s smog crisis has effectively spiralled out of control, with air quality readings shattering all past records: Multan’s AQI surpassed 2,000 recently and Lahore’s is consistently exceeding the 1,100 mark. While the two cities have now been put under a nine-day lockdown, such high levels of air pollution have taken a terrible toll on the population. Nearly 2m citizens sought medical attention for respiratory ailments in just 30 days. Hospitals are reporting patients of asthma, conjunctivitis and heart disease in overwhelming numbers. While the provincial government is running helter-skelter closing schools, banning recreational activities and demolishing non-compliant brick kilns, these steps amount to little more than crisis management. The distribution of super-seeders and installation of emission control systems, though welcome, cannot mask the absence of deep reform. It is not with seasonal firefighting that Punjab can deal with this recurrent problem. It must address primary pollution sources: a rickety transport infrastructure, industrial emissions and urban sprawl.
Across the border, Delhi faces a similar crisis, with schools shutting down and flights disrupted. In Pakistan, the Punjab information minister says that while 70pc of Lahore’s smog is generated locally, around 30pc wafts in from India. This makes bilateral cooperation essential. In addition, the Lahore High Court’s call for a decade-long policy framework merits attention. With 70-80pc of environmental pollution stemming from transport emissions, particularly substandard fuel, any meaningful solution must prioritise public transport and stricter emission standards. The government’s plan to introduce electric buses by June 2025 is promising but insufficient. The path forward requires painful but necessary reforms: relocating industries outside urban centres, enforcing Euro-V fuel standards, expanding green coverage beyond the current 3pc in Lahore, and creating air quality monitoring networks. While these may seem economically burdensome, the cost pales in comparison to the rapidly rising healthcare costs and the undeniable loss of productivity. For citizens caught between unaffordable air purifiers and deteriorating health, the government must provide relief through subsidised protective gear, such as N95 masks, and expanded healthcare access. However, the public too must recognise their role in this crisis. It must adopt greener lifestyles and reduce personal emissions. Ultimately, tackling smog requires unwavering political will, regional diplomacy, public participation, and a rethink of our urban development.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2024
PUNJAB’s smog crisis has effectively spiralled out of control, with air quality readings shattering all past records: Multan’s AQI surpassed 2,000 recently and Lahore’s is consistently exceeding the 1,100 mark. While the two cities have now been put under a nine-day lockdown, such high levels of air pollution have taken a terrible toll on the population. Nearly 2m citizens sought medical attention for respiratory ailments in just 30 days. Hospitals are reporting patients of asthma, conjunctivitis and heart disease in overwhelming numbers. While the provincial government is running helter-skelter closing schools, banning recreational activities and demolishing non-compliant brick kilns, these steps amount to little more than crisis management. The distribution of super-seeders and installation of emission control systems, though welcome, cannot mask the absence of deep reform. It is not with seasonal firefighting that Punjab can deal with this recurrent problem. It must address primary pollution sources: a rickety transport infrastructure, industrial emissions and urban sprawl.
Across the border, Delhi faces a similar crisis, with schools shutting down and flights disrupted. In Pakistan, the Punjab information minister says that while 70pc of Lahore’s smog is generated locally, around 30pc wafts in from India. This makes bilateral cooperation essential. In addition, the Lahore High Court’s call for a decade-long policy framework merits attention. With 70-80pc of environmental pollution stemming from transport emissions, particularly substandard fuel, any meaningful solution must prioritise public transport and stricter emission standards. The government’s plan to introduce electric buses by June 2025 is promising but insufficient. The path forward requires painful but necessary reforms: relocating industries outside urban centres, enforcing Euro-V fuel standards, expanding green coverage beyond the current 3pc in Lahore, and creating air quality monitoring networks. While these may seem economically burdensome, the cost pales in comparison to the rapidly rising healthcare costs and the undeniable loss of productivity. For citizens caught between unaffordable air purifiers and deteriorating health, the government must provide relief through subsidised protective gear, such as N95 masks, and expanded healthcare access. However, the public too must recognise their role in this crisis. It must adopt greener lifestyles and reduce personal emissions. Ultimately, tackling smog requires unwavering political will, regional diplomacy, public participation, and a rethink of our urban development.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2024
Pakistan’s policies hazy as it fights smog
By AFP
November 14, 2024
Pakistan's Punjab region is bearing the brunt of the country's struggles with record-breaking smog - Copyright AFP Arif ALI
Muhammed SOHAIL ABBAS with Shrouq TARIQ in Islamabad
From banning tuk-tuks and barbecues to demolishing old brick kilns, Pakistan’s government is pushing a series of measures to fight record-breaking smog.
But environmental activists and experts warn that the efforts hardly begin to fix a problem that leaves the country choking every winter, with Punjab, a region of almost 130 million people bordering India, bearing the brunt of it.
A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by agricultural stubble burning, blanket the city each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.
The UN food agency FAO pinpoints transport as the main source of air pollutant emissions, followed by industry and agriculture.
Punjab minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who has declared a “war against smog”, has deployed police to fine farmers who use the slash-and-burn technique.
Officials are also targeting companies that fail to comply with orders to modernise their infrastructure.
“It is a good starting point”, the Pakistan Air Quality Experts (PAQx) group, a coalition of 27 professionals spanning public health, environmental science, law, and economics, wrote in a letter to the government.
But more urgent action was necessary against the worst polluters, the group said, suggesting immediate curbs on heavy vehicles circulating at certain hours or a nation-wide shutdown of all brick kilns, old and new.
Ahmad Rafay Alam, one of Pakistan’s leading environment lawyers, said the government has “not understood the problem completely”.
“It should (improve the quality of) petrol, move to renewables, improve the industry, otherwise, we’re just showing something for the sake of showing it,” he said.
– Cost hurdle –
More than 24 million vehicles ply the streets in Punjab, a province served by a weak public transportation infrastructure.
“We need to upgrade the vehicle fleet,” Alam said.
But many Pakistanis are also unable to afford more modern and less-polluting options in a country where the World Bank reports 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
In the brick-making industry, one of Pakistan’s biggest sectors, employers and employees have shown incomprehension at the government’s actions.
Officials have shut down 700 of the country’s 25,000 brick kilns because they have not switched to more energy-efficient versions touted to reduce air particle output.
Employer Sajid Ali Shah told AFP that the government “replaced the old technology that we worked with for over 50 years with a new one, but many do not even know how to use the new technology”.
Worker Muhammad Imran, 40, said the old kilns “used to cost us almost $1000, the new one is almost $6000”.
A similar picture emerged in the farming sector.
Officials want the agriculture sector to switch to fertilisers instead of the slash-and-burn technique, but farmers say that is too costly.
“We plough, burn and then water (the fields) for good results. There’s no other way,” Fida Hussain, a 35-year-old farmer told AFP, after he finished burning his rice fields.
Deforestation also continues to gather pace to make way for new bridges and roads.
Every year, Pakistan loses almost 27,000 hectares (270 square kilometres) of natural forest area, according to the World Bank.
– Children paying price –
With the smog far from lifting, doctors are reporting a health emergency.
Air pollution can trigger strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
More than 35,000 patients have been reported in the five major public hospitals of Lahore during the past week, Pakistan’s official news agency APP reported.
Children are often hardest hit, with UNICEF noting that “prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12 percent of deaths in children under five in Pakistan were due to air pollution”.
To limit the damage, the provincial government shut down schools and public spaces in Punjab’s major cities till 17 November, disrupting the learning of almost 16 million children.
“It’s unfortunate that the children are paying the price when it should be industry, energy production and automobile use that should be upgraded or shut down,” Alam said.
But Aurangzeb warned: “Even if we enforce our smog mitigation plan… it will not bring an overnight change”.
By AFP
November 14, 2024
Pakistan's Punjab region is bearing the brunt of the country's struggles with record-breaking smog - Copyright AFP Arif ALI
Muhammed SOHAIL ABBAS with Shrouq TARIQ in Islamabad
From banning tuk-tuks and barbecues to demolishing old brick kilns, Pakistan’s government is pushing a series of measures to fight record-breaking smog.
But environmental activists and experts warn that the efforts hardly begin to fix a problem that leaves the country choking every winter, with Punjab, a region of almost 130 million people bordering India, bearing the brunt of it.
A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by agricultural stubble burning, blanket the city each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.
The UN food agency FAO pinpoints transport as the main source of air pollutant emissions, followed by industry and agriculture.
Punjab minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who has declared a “war against smog”, has deployed police to fine farmers who use the slash-and-burn technique.
Officials are also targeting companies that fail to comply with orders to modernise their infrastructure.
“It is a good starting point”, the Pakistan Air Quality Experts (PAQx) group, a coalition of 27 professionals spanning public health, environmental science, law, and economics, wrote in a letter to the government.
But more urgent action was necessary against the worst polluters, the group said, suggesting immediate curbs on heavy vehicles circulating at certain hours or a nation-wide shutdown of all brick kilns, old and new.
Ahmad Rafay Alam, one of Pakistan’s leading environment lawyers, said the government has “not understood the problem completely”.
“It should (improve the quality of) petrol, move to renewables, improve the industry, otherwise, we’re just showing something for the sake of showing it,” he said.
– Cost hurdle –
More than 24 million vehicles ply the streets in Punjab, a province served by a weak public transportation infrastructure.
“We need to upgrade the vehicle fleet,” Alam said.
But many Pakistanis are also unable to afford more modern and less-polluting options in a country where the World Bank reports 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
In the brick-making industry, one of Pakistan’s biggest sectors, employers and employees have shown incomprehension at the government’s actions.
Officials have shut down 700 of the country’s 25,000 brick kilns because they have not switched to more energy-efficient versions touted to reduce air particle output.
Employer Sajid Ali Shah told AFP that the government “replaced the old technology that we worked with for over 50 years with a new one, but many do not even know how to use the new technology”.
Worker Muhammad Imran, 40, said the old kilns “used to cost us almost $1000, the new one is almost $6000”.
A similar picture emerged in the farming sector.
Officials want the agriculture sector to switch to fertilisers instead of the slash-and-burn technique, but farmers say that is too costly.
“We plough, burn and then water (the fields) for good results. There’s no other way,” Fida Hussain, a 35-year-old farmer told AFP, after he finished burning his rice fields.
Deforestation also continues to gather pace to make way for new bridges and roads.
Every year, Pakistan loses almost 27,000 hectares (270 square kilometres) of natural forest area, according to the World Bank.
– Children paying price –
With the smog far from lifting, doctors are reporting a health emergency.
Air pollution can trigger strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
More than 35,000 patients have been reported in the five major public hospitals of Lahore during the past week, Pakistan’s official news agency APP reported.
Children are often hardest hit, with UNICEF noting that “prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12 percent of deaths in children under five in Pakistan were due to air pollution”.
To limit the damage, the provincial government shut down schools and public spaces in Punjab’s major cities till 17 November, disrupting the learning of almost 16 million children.
“It’s unfortunate that the children are paying the price when it should be industry, energy production and automobile use that should be upgraded or shut down,” Alam said.
But Aurangzeb warned: “Even if we enforce our smog mitigation plan… it will not bring an overnight change”.
Primary schools empty as smog persists in Indian capital
By AFP
November 15, 2024
Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter - Copyright AFP Arun SANKAR
Residents in India’s capital New Delhi again woke under a blanket of choking smog on Friday, a day after authorities closed primary schools and imposed measures aimed at alleviating the annual crisis.
Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter.
The smog is blamed for thousands of premature deaths each year and is an annual source of misery for residents, with various piecemeal government initiatives failing to measurably address the problem.
All primary schools were shut by government order on Thursday night with young pupils — particularly vulnerable to smog-related ailments due to their age — instead moving to online lessons.
“I have an eight-year-old kid and he has been suffering from a cough the past couple of days,” Delhi resident Satraj, who did not give his surname, told AFP on the streets of the capital.
“The government did the right thing by shutting down schools.”
Thursday’s edict also banned construction work, ordered drivers of older diesel-powered vehicles to stay off the streets and directed water trucks to spray roads in a bid to clear dust particles from the air.
Delhi’s air quality nonetheless deteriorated to “hazardous” levels for the fourth consecutive day this week, according to monitoring firm IQAir.
Levels of PM2.5 pollutants — dangerous cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs — were recorded more than 26 times above the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum shortly after dawn on Friday.
– Thousands of fires –
Critics have consistently said that authorities have fallen short in their duty to tackle a crisis that blights the city each year.
“We haven’t responded to the emergency with the same intensity with which we are facing this crisis,” Sunil Dahiya of New Delhi-based advocacy group Envirocatalysts told AFP.
The acrid smog over New Delhi each year is primarily blamed on stubble burning by farmers in nearby states to clear their fields for ploughing.
A report by broadcaster NDTV on Friday said that more than 7,000 individual farm fires had been recorded in Punjab state, to the capital’s north.
Emissions from industry and numerous coal-fired power stations ringing the city, along with vehicle exhaust and the burning of household waste, also play a part.
“Since we haven’t yet carried out any systemic long-term changes, like the way we commute, generate power, or manage our waste, even the curtailed emissions will be high,” Dahiya said.
Cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds worsen the situation by trapping deadly pollutants each winter.
A study in The Lancet medical journal attributed 1.67 million premature deaths to air pollution in the world’s most populous country in 2019.
By AFP
November 15, 2024
Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter - Copyright AFP Arun SANKAR
Residents in India’s capital New Delhi again woke under a blanket of choking smog on Friday, a day after authorities closed primary schools and imposed measures aimed at alleviating the annual crisis.
Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter.
The smog is blamed for thousands of premature deaths each year and is an annual source of misery for residents, with various piecemeal government initiatives failing to measurably address the problem.
All primary schools were shut by government order on Thursday night with young pupils — particularly vulnerable to smog-related ailments due to their age — instead moving to online lessons.
“I have an eight-year-old kid and he has been suffering from a cough the past couple of days,” Delhi resident Satraj, who did not give his surname, told AFP on the streets of the capital.
“The government did the right thing by shutting down schools.”
Thursday’s edict also banned construction work, ordered drivers of older diesel-powered vehicles to stay off the streets and directed water trucks to spray roads in a bid to clear dust particles from the air.
Delhi’s air quality nonetheless deteriorated to “hazardous” levels for the fourth consecutive day this week, according to monitoring firm IQAir.
Levels of PM2.5 pollutants — dangerous cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs — were recorded more than 26 times above the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum shortly after dawn on Friday.
– Thousands of fires –
Critics have consistently said that authorities have fallen short in their duty to tackle a crisis that blights the city each year.
“We haven’t responded to the emergency with the same intensity with which we are facing this crisis,” Sunil Dahiya of New Delhi-based advocacy group Envirocatalysts told AFP.
The acrid smog over New Delhi each year is primarily blamed on stubble burning by farmers in nearby states to clear their fields for ploughing.
A report by broadcaster NDTV on Friday said that more than 7,000 individual farm fires had been recorded in Punjab state, to the capital’s north.
Emissions from industry and numerous coal-fired power stations ringing the city, along with vehicle exhaust and the burning of household waste, also play a part.
“Since we haven’t yet carried out any systemic long-term changes, like the way we commute, generate power, or manage our waste, even the curtailed emissions will be high,” Dahiya said.
Cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds worsen the situation by trapping deadly pollutants each winter.
A study in The Lancet medical journal attributed 1.67 million premature deaths to air pollution in the world’s most populous country in 2019.
