ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday directed his administration to devise a comprehensive strategy within the shortest time possible to protect the cities from rising air pollution levels.
The directive came as Lahore, the bustling metropolis of nearly 11 million people, ranked among the worst cities in the world for air pollution — a mixture of low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal crop burn off, and colder winter temperatures coalescing into stagnant clouds.
Over the past weeks, in what has become a dreaded seasonal occurrence, Lahore has suffered pollution levels many times higher than the levels deemed healthy by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a thick brown smog settled over the city.
“A sustainable environment protection plan is need of the hour to fight pollution, especially in major cities,” Khan said while chairing a meeting convened to discuss ways to counter pollution and its consequences.
The prime minister directed the concerned departments to devise a strategy in coordination with the provincial governments to save the metropolises from pollution at the earliest.
“In line with our manifesto, clean and pollution-free Pakistan is our top priority, and long term measures should be taken to deal with the climate change-related issues,” he said.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said: “We [the government] are focused on maximising green cover of our cities through a massive plantation [drive].”
The meeting was attended by Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of State for Climate Malik Amin Aslam and senior officials.
Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, Relief Commissioner Babar Hayat Tarar also joined via video link.
