On Sunday 20th November, the caretaker Punjab government made it mandatory for the citizens in the areas hit by smog as they continue to suffer from extremely bad air quality. Mohsin Naqvi, the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab said in a twitter post, ‘In response to the deteriorating Air Quality, the Government of Punjab announces one-week directive for wearing face masks for all the citizens in districts affected by smog in Punjab. Prioritising health is our collective responsibility. Kindly adhere to the guidelines for a safer community’.
The government has requested all citizens to take the possible safety measures for control and prevention of the airborne diseases in the province of Punjab. Ali Jan Khan, the Secretary of primary and secondary Healthcare Department said that all citizens are ordered to wear face masks during all the outdoor activities with the chief minister’s approval.
The notification said, ‘The above order should be implemented in the Lahore Division area (District Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib) and Gujrawala Division (District Gujrawala, Mandi Bahuddin, Hafizabad, Narowal, Sialkot, Gujrat) having the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) for next one week that is from 20th November 2023 to 26th November, 2023’. The government announced a day earlier that they planned on carrying out artificial rain in Lahore later this month. Bilal Afzal, the Provincial Environment Minster said that a team and working group should be made to provide artificial rain that will consult on providing aircraft to carry out artificial rain.
The districts of Punjab including Lahore, Sheikhupura, Bahawalnagar, Nankana Sahib, Khanewal, Hafizabad and Jhang are experiencing the worst air pollution. The Lahore High Court meanwhile has ordered to close down all the schools and colleges on Saturday in the smog hit districts. The government was also advised by the court to implement a work from home policy for 2 days in a week.
The South Asian countries have experienced a significant increase in population growth, economic development and industrialisation in the past two decades leading to the demand increasing for energy and fossil fuels. The sources like vehicles and industries affect a country the most, some major contributors are unique to South Asia including fuel combustion for burning of agriculture waste, human cremation, heating and cooking.
