LAHORE (WS News) – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has once again underscored the need for ‘climate diplomacy’ with India to tackle the scourge of smog.
Lahore has been facing worst smog for the last few days and it aggravated to a level where it touched 708 points on Air Quality Index (AQI).
Read also: CM Maryam desires to engage in ‘climate diplomacy’ with India
Addressing a Diwali event in Lahore, the chief minister said Pakistan must have diplomacy with India to fight smog in Lahore. “I am thinking of writing a letter to the Indian Punjab chief minister. This is not just a political issue but a humanitarian issue,” she said.
“And if we’re also taking steps towards this, then there should be a matching response from the Indian side,” she said.
She remarked, “the winds don’t know there’s a border in the middle.”
SMOG ASSUMES ALARMING LEVEL
Smog situation worsened in several parts of the country with Lahore once again bearing the brunt of the menace in the last few days.
The average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 347 on Tuesday. The particulate matter concentration was recorded at PM2.5 which is much higher than the air quality recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The AQI of some areas in Lahore such as Gulberg and Maratab Ali Road crossed the alarming level of 500.
On Monday, several parts of the city had the AQI level well above 700 which is highly hazardous.
Amid a slew of measures the Punjab government changed the timings of schools in the provincial metropolis due to worsening smog. It also made waering masks mandatory in Lahore and thereabouts.
MINORITY CARD
The chief minister also announced that a ‘Minority Card’ would be launched in Punjab on Dec 20 to help the needy.
“All minority members across Punjab, especially poverty-stricken minorities who don’t have resources, will receive Rs10,500 through the card,” she said.
