NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Toxic smog has enveloped the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore for several days, as rising pollution prompts authorities to limit activities and set up a committee to oversee prevention efforts.

Here’s a look at what’s causing this dangerous air and how the government is responding.

The capital of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, Lahore is just 25 km (16 miles) from the border with India and is considered the cultural capital of the country.

Pakistan’s second-largest city after the southern port city of Karachi, has a population of around 13 million and is a key hub for trade, banking and industry.

HOW POOR AIR QUALITY IS LAHORE?

Swiss group IQAir, which uses data from 14 regional monitoring stations, has ranked Lahore as the most polluted city in the world, with an air quality index (AQI) of 1,165, more than 120 times the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). .

Pollution reached unprecedented levels on the outskirts of the city on Sunday, with a score of 1,900.

WHAT CAUSES TOXIC AIR?

Several parts of South Asia suffer from pollution every winter as cold air traps pollutants, such as emissions, dust and smoke from burning on farms to dispose of leftover rice crops before planting. wheat.

Lahore officials have previously blamed poor-quality automobile fuel, as well as construction and industrial activity, for pollution.

This year, however, more than ever, the provincial government has blamed toxic air coming from neighboring India, where northern regions also struggle with dangerous air.

The Indian capital, New Delhi, became the second most polluted city in the world on Wednesday, with a score of 299, IQAir said.

WHAT TYPES OF BORDERS WERE IMPOSED?

The government closed primary schools, banned three-wheelers and rickshaws, halted some construction work and asked people to stay at home. It also set up a “smog war room” to monitor the situation and supervise actions to combat pollution.

HOW WILL THE PROBLEM BE SOLVED IN THE LONG TERM?

Punjab plans to approach India through the Ministry of External Affairs for negotiations to find a solution to the toxic air problem.

“We hope that India will respond positively,” Punjab Chief Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told the Indian Express newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.

(Compiled by Sakshi Dayal; edited by Clarence Fernandez)

Disclaimer: This report is automatically generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.