LAHORE: A Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) official on Thursday said that overnight rain has receded the level of hazardous smog that was engulfing Lahore for over two weeks.
According to Lahore’s Chief Meteorologist Shahib Khan, the current rain spell was expected to continue till Friday, with wind direction also likely to change within the next 24 hours. He said that winds coupled with rain were blowing from east and southeast.
“Today citizens are safe from smog,” he said.
Khan said that smog in the provincial capital is caused by stubble burning in Indian Punjab. “[Otherwise] there is no smog in Lahore,” he said.
Khan claimed that the city was in the grip of smoke caused by crop burning. He said rice crop is being harvested in Punjab which has polluted the air.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Meteorologist Mahr Sahibzad Khan said that the current smoke levels should not be confused with “smog”.
“Smog components become visible after smoke and fog combine. Until now, the fog has not developed,” he said while speaking to a local news channel.
“Fog has its own criteria under which it develops: the visibility must reduce to less than 1 kilometre, the humidity levels must be more than 90 per cent, the air must be still and the sky clear. Only then are there chances for fog,” Khan explained.
“These phenomena (required for fog) are not currently present. There is smoke, because of car and factory emissions, as well as transboundary smoke coming in from India due to crop burning. So the smoke levels have risen significantly owing to these factors. And there are components in the smoke that raise the air quality index. People start calling it smog, but it isn’t. There are alarmingly high levels of smoke, however.”
