Heavy fog prompts motorway closure in Punjab, smog blankets Lahore

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The spell of dense fog that began yesterday continued to disrupt movement of traffic in Punjab, prompting closure of several sections of the motorway on Thursday, officials said.

The M2 motorway, connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad to Lahore, was closed from Sial More to Lahore in the wake of zero visibility due to heavy fog, a spokesman for the Motorway Police said.

The M3 motorway, leading to Faisalabad from Pindi Bhattian, was also closed completely due to zero visibility, he added. From Islamabad to Sial Mor, light fog was observed with visibility of 80-150 meters and the section remained open.

On GT Road, the visibility was 80-140 meters as light fog engulfed Kamonki, yet it too remained open for traffic.

Smog in Lahore, other cities

In Lahore, citizens felt it difficult to set out of homes and travel as heavy smog blanketed the city. People complained of sore eyes due to the heavy spell which has continued since yesterday.

The Met Office has warned the smog is likely to persist for the next two or three days in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Okara, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Multan and Khanewal districts.

Sargodha: A view of smog that engulfs the city-APP photo

Climate change

A 20-member special team of the Punjab government submitted its initial report on smog to Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday.

The report states that due to climate change many areas of the city are under heavy smog and advises people to travel carefully.

Health experts in the committee recommend that children and the elderly should take extra care to protect them from smog. Residents are advised to cover their faces with masks while going out. In case of sore eyes, they should wash them with fresh and cold water.

Call for legal action

A resident of Lahore has filed a petition in Lahore High Court (LHC) calling for legal action to prevent smog in the city.

In his petition, Waleed Iqbal has stated that Lahore is among the most polluted cities in the world. Smog and air pollution pose risks to the city’s 10 million residents. The petition claims that the unplanned infrastructure and construction activities in Lahore are responsible for the smog, which is caused when air pollution, emissions and fumes react with fog and sunlight, resulting in a thick grey fog which suspends in the air.

Iqbal claims in the petition that the government has not taken any concrete steps to control and prevent smog. He has called on the court to direct the government to adopt measures to prevent the situation.