Daily Times

Citizens in various cities including the capital are facing almost freezing temperatures due to dense fog that engulfs in the morning and stays on for hours after daybreak where health experts asked people to remain vigilant while maintaining a healthy diet and using face masks.

A thick layer of fog has enveloped many cities in Punjab including Lahore, paralyzing routine life and disrupting road traffic, a private news channel reported.

The recent cold wave and foggy conditions have already made living conditions difficult with people already suffering due to power load shedding and low pressure of gas. In these circumstances, the number of people complaining of cold-related ailments has also shot up over the last few days.

According to the doctors working in various city hospitals, elderly persons and children are found to be the most affected people. Motorway police said that the travelers of the Motorway had been asked to use fog lights and slow the speed due to dense fog in inner Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Motorway police have also requested the people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling. The foggy weather also disrupted flights and train operations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Like other parts of the country, dense fog prevailed for the second consecutive day in the provincial capital and most parts of the province during the last 24 hours while substantially decreasing the temperatures.

Due to low visibility, the tariff remained very thin in the cities while the public transport was also affected thus causing inconvenience for the commuters of inter-city.

The National Highway and Motorways Authority closed the M-1 motorway from Peshawar to Islamabad and Swat expressways and diverted the traffic to GT road. The mercury dropped to 03C in the provincial capital with 86 percent humidity in the air.

According to the Met Office, very cold and dry weather would prevail in most districts of the province, adding there were chances of rains and snow in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Thursday.