In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, the Pakistan Air Quality Experts (PAQx) urged his administration to act quickly to solve the dangerous air quality that is strangling areas of the nation like Punjab.
The province’s air quality was deemed a “calamity” last month. In an effort to reduce the amount of pollution that children are exposed to, schools in Punjab’s major cities have been closed till November 17.
To lessen public exposure to smog, the public has been prohibited from attending public parks, zoos, playgrounds, and museums until November 17.
Over 11 million children under five were exposed to air pollution in Punjab’s worst-hit regions on Monday, prompting Abdullah Fadil, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative in Pakistan, to call for immediate and increased measures to minimize it.
“The severe decline in air quality across Punjab and other regions of Pakistan has reached hazardous levels, posing a critical public health risk that demands immediate and strategic action,” the letter states; a copy is accessible on Dawn.com.
PAQx, a coalition of 27 experts in environmental science, public health, and law, acknowledged the existence of environmental laws like the National Clean Air Policy and stated that it thought an approach “grounded in scientific evidence and global best practices is essential to effectively manage air pollution.”
Referred to as “one of the largest contributors to air pollution,” the group suggested that the government shut down all brick kilns, adding that “a shutdown would immediately reduce emissions by 15%.”
PAQx also suggested enforcing stringent car pollution regulations and limiting the circulation of big vehicles. Restricting heavy vehicles between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. would “provide an immediate reduction in harmful pollutants in urban areas by a further 15 %,” according to the report.
The panel also suggested closing industrial facilities that did not adhere to environmental standards. The letter stated, “In order to drastically lower air pollution levels in densely populated areas by 15 percent, industries that do not adhere to environmental standards should be shut down.”
The letter also recommended that the shutdown be maintained until an emissions management plan is established.
