Daily Times

LAHORE: The number of citizens suffering in lung, eye and other respiratory problems has once again risen as dust and smog returns to the city.

Medical experts have advised the citizens to wear face-mask and eyeshades (glasses) to protect themselves from the adverse effects of smog and dust while going outside. Smog is a mixture of air pollutants by nitrogen oxides and other chemical compounds. The smog is manmade and its pollutants come from many sources such as automobile exhaust, power plants and factories, many consumer products, including paint, hairspray, charcoal starter fluid, chemical solvents and even plastic packaging.

So far, local authorities have failed to combat this menace even for the second executive year in provincial capital.

Weather experts have said that air pollution was high due to ongoing construction activity in the city. “In our case, it is not fog mixed smoke. It is fog blended with dust. It can be dangerous for lungs and eyes,” they said.

This fog can cause or aggravate health problems such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and other respiratory problems as well as eye irritation and reduced resistance to colds and lung infections. It is also affecting plant growth and can cause widespread damage to crops and forests.

A number of citizen complained that they were suffering with irritation in eyes and were also having problem breathing. They were of the view that the situation was due to unabated construction work being carried out in the city.

Health experts have asked citizens to cover their noses and mouths and wear protective glasses and helmets to fight the effects of smog. They said that most of the patients complained about breathing problems, sore throat, nose and itchy eyes.

A number of doctors said that dust and smog was dangerous for those suffering from lung ailments like asthma. They said ground-level ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide were very harmful for senior citizens, children and people with heart and lung diseases.

A senior meteorologist said that the current situation was due to extensive air pollutants in the city.

“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is responsible for maintaining the record of pollution level in the city, did not monitor the pollution in the Punjab which made the situation worst,” he said, adding that EPA had to inform the government about what was going to happen due to pollution, so that people could take pre-emptive measure to avoid health risks.

PMA office bearers also said that the health indicators had failed to show any positive trend. In fact, in some of the areas, things have gone from bad to worse.

Post Graduate Medical Institute Principal Prof Ghiasun Nabi Tayyab said that smog and dust had increased diseases. “In this situation, necessary arrangements have been made at LGH as well as other hospitals to provide best medical care to the patients,” he said.

He said that preservation of greenery in the society was our collective responsibility. “After planting trees, we should also care them. To avoid smog, fog and dust in future, we should go for short and long term planning and keep in view the elements which become the cause of this problem,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, December 10^th 2017.