LAHORE: The ongoing smog crisis in Punjab, especially in Lahore, has reached alarming levels, with thick, toxic clouds now visible from space.
Satellite images from NASA’s Worldview have shown the extent of the smog, which blankets not only Lahore but also northern India. The hazy skies have obscured buildings and streets, with both Lahore and New Delhi clearly visible in the satellite imagery, engulfed in a thick layer of smog.
Lahore has topped the global list of the most polluted cities, according to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, which reported the city’s air quality index (AQI) as extremely hazardous.
Lahore’s pollution level surpasses even India’s New Delhi and Kinhasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ranking them second and third, respectively.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised serious concerns, warning that the smog in Punjab poses severe risks to public health, especially for over 11 million children under the age of five.
Many residents, including children, have been hospitalized due to the hazardous air. UNICEF’s Pakistan representative, Abdullah Fadil, expressed deep concern over the toxic air, calling it a serious threat to the health and well-being of children.
Authorities have been forced to close schools and public spaces in several cities to mitigate the effects of the smog. The pollution, largely caused by a combination of crop residue burning, traffic emissions, coal-fired power plants, and stagnant air, is not an isolated issue, but one that worsens every winter in the region. This season’s smog is considered unprecedented, even by the usual toxic standards in South Asian cities.
