Pakistan: Forced 'lockdowns' in certain cities due to extreme pollution. AQI tops 2000 in Multan - World News Network

Multan [Pakistan], November 9 (ANI): The smog situation continues to worsen in Pakistan’s Punjab. On Friday morning, the city of Multan turned apocalyptic as the city crossed the 2000 mark on Air Quality Index reading, as per Dawn.
The state government of Pakistan’s Punjab is on high alert and is implementing various measures to bring down the pollution levels.
The state closed parks and museums till November 17 as air quality worsened to record level in all major cities of Punjab.
According to Dawn, Multan, the largest city in south Punjab province of Pakistan, recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 2,135 between 8am and 9am, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitor.
The concentration of PM2.5 — fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — was 947 micrograms per cubic metre, which is 189.4 times above the WHO guideline, as per IQAir.
The global health body considers anything over five micrograms per cubic metre as hazardous.
The AQI in Multan reached 980 by 10pm, at least three times over the 300 mark considered “hazardous”.
Three air quality monitors in the city at the WWF-Pakistan Office, Shamsabad Colony and Multan Cantonment showed AQI readings of 2,316, 1,635 and 1,527, respectively, at 10pm, as per Dawn.
The smog situation in Multan’s surrounding districts of Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, and Khanewal was also the same, resulting in reduced visibility on roads. The state of affairs has led to Nishtar Hospital, Multan’s biggest medical facility, establishing two smog counters in the OPD and Emergency wards due to hazardous air quality.
However, these counters did not receive any patients until Pakistani media outlets raised the issue.
Multan’s Deputy Commissioner Waseem Hamid Sindhu on Friday imposed a ‘smart lockdown’ in the city. According to this, the markets have been directed to close by 8pm and the traffic police is to take strict action against vehicles emitting smoke.
The city administration has also directed a crackdown against stubble and waste burning and brick kilns operating without zig zag technology.
Residents of the city informed Dawn that the rules were being flouted as children were playing in the grounds and streets as the schools were closed. Citizens also complained of sore throat due to bad air quality.
Meanwhile, the AQI in Lahore was also reported above 1,000 at 12am, making it the most polluted city in the world.
According to Dawn, a “complete ban” has been imposed on the entry of people in parks, zoos, playgrounds, monuments, museums and play lands in cities like Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Chiniot and Jhang.
An official notification issued on Friday said the violators would face action under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which criminalised disobedience of government orders.
Public and private schools in 18 districts of the province have already been shut.
Even though industrial and vehicular emissions and stubble burning were resulting in smog, this wind pool also had turned the situation worse, according to the EPCCD secretary.
Pakistan Punjab’s senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said steps were being taken to curb the smog. These include covering all cargo trucks with tarps, advising children to not go outdoors and imposing fines and penalties on those who flouted the rules.
Additionally, several food stalls and outlets have been closed for “violating environmental regulations”.
Several key roads were also closed in the south and central regions of Pakistan’s Punjab as the area was badly affected due to the thick smog. (ANI)

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