A meteorologist in Peshawar, Pakistan has reported a heavy smog. It is very heavily concentrated with pollutants and is covering many cities, like the city that is shown here. This smog that continuously seems to be covering the city is causing all types of irritation in the eyes of the people that live or visit in the area, and more people in the area have started reporting more respiratory-related problems. Doctors in the area are requesting residents in all areas of Pakistan to wear a face mask. They are supposed to wear these face masks everywhere they go, and even in the house if their house is not filtered enough. This smog that is in the area seems to be getting worse. The regular recording of the smog level started five years ago. Since this summer there has been a permanent haze in the area and in the surrounding areas in Pakistan. Only when it rains does the smog go away for a short amount of time.
The air pollution in Peshawar is something that needs to be addressed and needs so be addressed fast. This city is considered to be one of the most polluted cities in Pakistan. Plus, in the winter, when the air is dry, there is even a higher air pollution density problem. One resident of the Lahore Canal area stated, “After a month of thick fog or rather smog, we finally saw some sunshine last week after some light rain came down the night before. We are so sick of the cold and damp that comes with the smog each year.” The conditions also can cause unusually low daytime temperatures since there is not a lot of sunshine to keep the day warm. According to Dr. Qamar uz Zaman, “The main source of the pollutants in our lower atmosphere is Eastern Punjab where all the coal-based industries are centered (across the border in India). Of course, we have added our share of the pollutants as well from factory and car emissions.”
In places in Pakistan that have rice paddies and larger rivers, basically, anywhere that holds more moisture, the fog is much thicker. The smog that hangs over areas like this barely go away, even when it rains. Still, the people that live where this fog seems to hang all the time, enjoy the rain because they know it means that less fog will stand over their city, if only for a short time. When it does rain though, in many of these cities the pollutants get trapped near the ground. Because you cannot visibly see the pollutants, this can be even more dangerous for the people that live in the area. There can be an increase of medical/ health problems after it rains. These heath problems are also caused by the cars and industries that are running. Until industries start cleaning up their emissions and people start using more fuel efficient transportation, people will just have to avoid going outdoors or wear masks.
In general, people want changes in their cities. They want to see more people working hard to change the problems they and their families face on a day to day basis. Not to long ago though, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took on the steps to try their hardest to make the pollution in the city less severe. Not much has been told to the people on how this is going to happen or the measures that will be taken to insure that the people will get the best results. This scares the people. The people in this city want to know that they are being taken care of and that by living in Peshawar they will not die young.
When you live in an area with a functioning government, you expect to be helped. I am not saying that the people in Peshawar need to have everything given to them, but there needs to be a strict involvement with the people from the government. They have to step up and let the people know that they are there, and that they will be involved at any cost. Recently there has been an experiment on how much air pollution these people are exposed to every day. According to Sunita Narain, “Our data is quite shocking – we have found that daily personal exposure to toxic air is significantly higher than the background ambient air pollution that is monitored by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. This is a serious risk to public health.” Also with the push from the people in the area by 2018, there should be a strict regiment given to the people from the government explaining what they can do to help make the city a better and cleaner place.
The air pollution in Peshawar is something that needs to be addressed and needs so be addressed fast. This city is considered to be one of the most polluted cities in Pakistan. Plus, in the winter, when the air is dry, there is even a higher air pollution density problem. One resident of the Lahore Canal area stated, “After a month of thick fog or rather smog, we finally saw some sunshine last week after some light rain came down the night before. We are so sick of the cold and damp that comes with the smog each year.” The conditions also can cause unusually low daytime temperatures since there is not a lot of sunshine to keep the day warm. According to Dr. Qamar uz Zaman, “The main source of the pollutants in our lower atmosphere is Eastern Punjab where all the coal-based industries are centered (across the border in India). Of course, we have added our share of the pollutants as well from factory and car emissions.”
In places in Pakistan that have rice paddies and larger rivers, basically, anywhere that holds more moisture, the fog is much thicker. The smog that hangs over areas like this barely go away, even when it rains. Still, the people that live where this fog seems to hang all the time, enjoy the rain because they know it means that less fog will stand over their city, if only for a short time. When it does rain though, in many of these cities the pollutants get trapped near the ground. Because you cannot visibly see the pollutants, this can be even more dangerous for the people that live in the area. There can be an increase of medical/ health problems after it rains. These heath problems are also caused by the cars and industries that are running. Until industries start cleaning up their emissions and people start using more fuel efficient transportation, people will just have to avoid going outdoors or wear masks.
In general, people want changes in their cities. They want to see more people working hard to change the problems they and their families face on a day to day basis. Not to long ago though, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took on the steps to try their hardest to make the pollution in the city less severe. Not much has been told to the people on how this is going to happen or the measures that will be taken to insure that the people will get the best results. This scares the people. The people in this city want to know that they are being taken care of and that by living in Peshawar they will not die young.
When you live in an area with a functioning government, you expect to be helped. I am not saying that the people in Peshawar need to have everything given to them, but there needs to be a strict involvement with the people from the government. They have to step up and let the people know that they are there, and that they will be involved at any cost. Recently there has been an experiment on how much air pollution these people are exposed to every day. According to Sunita Narain, “Our data is quite shocking – we have found that daily personal exposure to toxic air is significantly higher than the background ambient air pollution that is monitored by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. This is a serious risk to public health.” Also with the push from the people in the area by 2018, there should be a strict regiment given to the people from the government explaining what they can do to help make the city a better and cleaner place.