As toxic smog continues to grip Lahore, the health condition of the people in Pakistani city continues to deteriorate with over 15,000 cases of respiratory and viral infections reported in just a single day. As of 8 pm on Thursday, the AQI of Lahore was 1136, the IQAir's data showed, categorising the city's air as 'hazardous'.
The hospitals in Lahore are over crowed with patients complaining of breathing difficulties, pneumonia, dry cough, and chest infections. The majority of cases were reported at major government hospitals, including Mayo Hospital (4,000+ patients), Jinnah Hospital (3,500 patients), Gangaram Hospital (3,000 patients), and Children’s Hospital (2,000+ patients), Pakistan's ARY News reported.
The medical experts in the country have warned children and patients with pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease and asthama, are particularly more vulnerable to the smog's effects. “Special children are severely affected,” said Professor Ashraf Zia.
The smog has led to an increase in various viral diseases, including pneumonia, chest infections, and skin diseases. “Over 10 viral diseases are currently prevalent in Lahore,” he said.
To tackle the grave situation, the Punjab transport released new guidelunes due to the ongoing situation of most parts of the province due to the toxic smog. Light transport vehicles (LTVs) that emit smoke will be fined two thousand for the first offence and four thousand for subsequent offences, the report said.
Besides this, a 3-month ban on weddings has been imposed and schools and colleges in five divisons in addition to Multan, Faislabad, Gujranwala, have been closed.
As the severe smog has enveloped the northern region in Pakistan, NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) also reported about it, sharing satellite images.
"A thick blanket of sky-soiling smog hung over northern Pakistan in early November 2024, causing air quality to plummet, schools to close, and sending hundreds of people to the hospital", NASA MODIS said.
It further pointed out at the plummeting levels of AQI in the country. "According to several news reports, the Air Quality Index in parts of the Punjab region of Pakistan spiked to more than 1,900 on November 10".
It also reported Pakistani media sources who announced that Pakistan's Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority had declared smog a "calamity" and instituted emergency measures.
"On November 12, the Punjab government website advised that the AQI for the province over last 24 hours had averaged 604--well into the Hazardous range", NASA MODIS said.
NASA also said that the smog hovering over Lahore on November 12 reduced visibilty to the point that the instruments onboard space-based platforms easily detected it.
Speaking on the thick layer of pollution, NASA MODIS noted: "The tan haze is so thick that it completely obscures the landscape of Pakistan from view. Irregular patches of a lighter color indicate that fog hugs the ground underneath the haze. The city of Lahore, Pakistan--which has ranked as the most polluted city in the world in recent days--is located near the northeastern edge of the fog".