Accidents continue, flight operations suspended due to smog in Punjab

By
Mian Muhammad Abid
|
Smog blurs vision in an area of Punjab.

LAHORE: One person was killed, many others injured as vehicles bumped into each other in accidents caused Tuesday due to smog. Besides, operations at Lahore airport have been suspended, while motorway has also been closed at some sections.

Six vehicles crashed into each other near Pindi Bhattian, leaving one dead and six others injured. On the other hand, 20 vehicles collided with each other near Faisalabad-Sial road, injuring many.

Moreover, 30 flights have been affected as operations were suspended at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Motorway sections closed due to smog, included routes from Babu Sabu Interchange to Kot Momin, Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad and Faisalabad to Gojra. According to a motorway spokesperson, visibility level has plunged to 20 metres from Lahore to Bahawalpur and Kot Sabzal, Rahim Yar Khan.

As per the meteorological department, dense smog is expected to continue to envelop Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur for the next four days. Besides Punjab, dense smog is expected in Sukkur, Sindh on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Furthermore, electric supply to various cities of Sindh and Balochistan suspended Monday as a high-transmission line of Guddu Thermal Power Station tripped. 

Smog policy

Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has ordered the secretary environment to inform the court about steps being taken to control the prevailing smog, reported The News.

The chief justice also directed the secretary to give the action plan regarding tree plantation. The chief justice observed that due to urban development hundreds of trees had been cut in Lahore which had contributed to pollution levels to exponential height.

During the proceeding on petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Lahore President Barrister Walid Iqbal and others on Monday, the chief justice directed the secretary environment Saif Anjum to appear within 30 minutes in the courtroom. Saif Anjum appeared and submitted notified smog policy signed by the chief minister. He said the law secretary had notified the smog policy in the official gazette.

Moreover, six air monitoring stations have been made functional to determine how much India was contributing to smog spillover effects in Punjab. He said that at present there was no scientific data available to determine air pollution level.

Petitioner counsel Sheraz Zaka had submitted that in 1952 the great smog was faced by London which thereafter implemented environmental laws and in 1956 implemented Clean Air Act 1956. He argued that in order to curb air and noise pollution during the tenure of Margaret Thatcher, former British prime minister, coal industry in entire Britain was closed off. He had said that in Pakistan, the reason behind the smog was the lack of enforcement of environmental laws and dysfunctional central laboratory in Lahore which is due to the negligence of Punjab environmental protection agency.

He had submitted that the government had not taken any adequate awareness measures among the public.  

With additional input from The News