"The toxic particles could not be dissolved in the dry season"
In the plains of Pakistan's Punjab province including Lahore, normal life has been affected due to the dusty fog and people have been worried about eye, throat and ear complaints.
Director of Meteorological Department Ajmal Shad said that in Lahore and other areas of Punjab, it is normal to have fog in the month of November, but usually the amount of moisture in the fog is up to ninety percent. But the haziness in the atmosphere during the past few days was actually a mixture of air pollution and fog.
People are worried about the polluted fog and dust clouds in Punjab
'Consider shutting down factories and furnaces in case of smog'
According to him, since the amount of toxic particles like carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen in this fog was high, it has been technically named as 'smog'.
According to Dr. Salman Kazmi of Lahore, most of the people who visit the hospitals come with complaints of ear, nose and throat diseases.
According to Dr. Salman Kazmi, 'those most affected include asthmatics, smokers and people who already suffer from allergies related to nose, ear and throat.'
Causes of Smog
According to Ajmal Shad, Director of Meteorological Department in Lahore, all these chemical substances are already present in our air and they are caused by industrial production, pollution from vehicles and dust particles, but the extremely dry weather has caused these particles to enter the atmosphere. The dissolution process is stopped.
Due to the increase in the amount of these polluted particles in the atmosphere, the amount of oxygen in the range of three to four hundred feet from the surface of the earth has decreased to a great extent. This is the reason why people had difficulty breathing.'
Ajmal Shad said that this has not happened for the first time, but since one day the duration of this situation was more than one day, medical problems came to light. Even after that it continued to intensify for two to three hours a day.
He said that due to the change in the weather in the northern areas, the current disturbing situation will decrease in the next couple of days, but the general condition of fog will remain.
But he warned that in the month of November, there is a possibility that the situation of dusty fog or smog will continue to occur intermittently with varying intensity.
Ajmal Shad said that the lack of rain in Lahore since September 10 has led to an increase in dust particles in the air. According to him, rain or wind makes a big difference in the weather.
Ajmal Shad emphasized that it is very important to regularly review the pollution caused by industries and traffic and the increased amount of chemicals in the air in big cities including Lahore.
Along with the weather, there should be instruments for testing the chemical compounds in the atmosphere, and after several years of analysis, it will be clear what kind of chemical substances are present in the air of which cities and regions. And measures can be taken considering the change in them. Right now we don't have any data.'
Since there is no prior data, even if the presence of toxic substances in the atmosphere is known, it cannot be said whether they were already present or have been introduced into the atmosphere due to some recent situation.
According to Ajmal Shad, Director of Meteorological Department, there is no rain in the plains of Lahore and Punjab during the months of November and December. At present, a chain in the northern regions is likely to bring snowfall and rain in the hilly areas, after which the weather will remain dry for another week.
According to him, there is a possibility of another wave of rain coming from the west after a week, but it is very unlikely that this wave will come towards the central areas of the country, so it will also come in the northern areas.
Smog complaints and redressal
According to Dr. Salman Kazmi of Lahore, "many people complain of eye pain due to which most of the patients are coming with more pain after touching and scratching the eyes."
He stressed that 'in case of pain or itching in the patient's eyes, wash them with cold water and avoid touching them as doing so is feared to aggravate the pain.'
According to Dr. Salman Kazmi, 'Motorcyclists should use goggles and avoid going out unnecessarily. Do not self-medicate in case of any discomfort, but go to a doctor.'
He said, 'The amount of fog increases in the morning and evening hours, so avoid going out during these hours.'
'If affected, use soups and eat a good protein diet to boost immunity.'
Earlier, Khawaja Salman Rafique, Special Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Health, while talking to BBC, said that if the situation in the areas affected by smoke and dust in Punjab continues, the factories and furnaces that cause air pollution will be closed. Can be considered.
He also said that the scope of smog is not limited to Lahore and its surroundings and it has reached Toba Tek Singh while traveling.
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