Thick smog covers India, Pakistan
Hospitals filled to capacity
ATHICK blanket of smog continued to engulf large swathes of northern India and neighbouring Pakistan yesterday, with monitoring stations in New Delhi recording hazardous levels of air pollution.
Flights and trains were delayed across the region, while highway commuting was also affected.
Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, in the province of Punjab, and nearby industrial towns were hard-hit, with hospitals filled to capacity with people suffering from throat and eye infections, provincial Health Minister Salman Rafiq said.
“Beginning this week, we are seeing between 250-300 patients, more than three times the usual,” said DM Verma, a doctor at Delhi’s state-run Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute.
A high humidity level of about 98% was contributing to the smog hanging over Delhi, an Indian Meteorological Department official said. Light rain was expected tomorrow and Wednesday, which might clear it, the official said.
Every winter, Delhi sees a huge spike in suspended particulate matter way above the level the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers to be safe. Falling temperatures and a lack of winds trap these particles near the surface, creating a thick smog.
Yesterday, air quality readings soared again after a slight dip, with several monitors showing levels of PM10, or suspended particles smaller than 10 micrometres – more than 60 times the WHO limit.
The Delhi government has declared an emergency, closed schools and asked people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children to remain indoors.
The government has banned the entry of trucks into Delhi, construction activity and use of diesel generators.
It was also considering using fire engines to spray water to settle the smog, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said.
Illegal crop burning, heavy traffic and industry emissions, construction dust and the burning of garbage and fuel for cooking are all factors behind Delhi’s winter pollution.
Pakistani officials blame the smog on the burning of the remains of crop in Indian Punjab. Stubble-burning – setting fire to the remains of crops after harvest – is banned in Pakistan.
Several flights from airports in the capital, Islamabad, and Lahore were either delayed or cancelled yesterday as smog reduced visibility, according to the Civil Aviation department.
The highway between Lahore and Islamabad also had to be closed for a few hours in the morning, Motorways Police spokesman Khurram Manzoor said. – ANA-DPA