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LAHORE: As the provincial caretaker government has engaged Chinese environmental experts for suggestions to mitigate smog, especially in Lahore, Thursday saw disruption of air, rail, and road traffic due to thick fog in Punjab.
At least 14 domestic flights were cancelled, while 18 were rescheduled, and three international ones were diverted to other airports in the province due to poor visibility caused by fog, according to officials.
The foggy weather also affected the railway operation. According to rail authorities, the Karakoram Express departed at 6pm instead of its scheduled time of 3pm on Thursday. Similarly, the Karachi Express departed 45 minutes behind its scheduled time of 6pm.
Motorway authorities also advised citizens to plan their journeys during daylight hours, between 10am and 6pm, which is considered the optimal period during foggy weather.
Meanwhile, Chinese environmental experts on Thursday presented a preliminary report highlighting the causes of smog in Lahore.
According to their findings, factors such as the unnecessary use of organic and inorganic fuels, high atmospheric humidity, household dust and gas emissions, and pollutants from coal plants in India contribute to the smog in the region.
Chinese Consul General Zhao Shirin, along with a delegation of Chinese environmental experts, called on caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and discussed strategies to combat the prevalent issue of smog in Lahore.
The government stated that the report would help in tackling the issue, emphasising the importance of understanding the factors that make smog harmful to health.
CG Shirin mentioned that solving the smog problem required time, citing China’s successful control efforts over seven years.
The provincial government has reportedly decided to implement a second artificial rain later this month to reduce smog levels in Lahore.
Artificial rain was used for the first time in the country last month in Lahore, where hazardous levels of toxic smog choke the lungs of more than 11 million residents during winter.
Planes equipped with cloud-seeding equipment flew over 10 areas of the city, which remained the most polluted city on the Air Quality Index (AQI) in recent weeks.
The UAE government had provided support in this regard.
The UAE has increasingly been using cloud seeding, sometimes referred to as artificial rain or blue-skying, to create rain in the arid expanses.
Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2024
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