'MilKar' launches 'Pakistan Wears Masks' campaign

LAHORE: Milkar Pakistan has launched the "Pakistan Wear Mask" campaign to deal with the increasing air pollution and smog across the country.

The aim of this campaign is to highlight the growing problem of smog in Lahore and the importance of wearing masks. "Milkar" volunteers have also distributed masks in Lahore and surrounding cities, which will soon be distributed to communities across the country.

On this occasion, Syed Kashf Ahmed, project director of "Milkar" said that the aim of our campaign is to create awareness about public health and environmental issues.

The severe smog crisis in Punjab has forced the government to take drastic actions, including the closure of schools, yet the province's air quality — particularly that of the capital city — remains dangerously poor, leaving residents struggling to breathe.

The provincial government's Environmental Protection Agency on Friday also ordered a complete ban on the people's entry in all parks (public and private), zoos, playgrounds, historical places, monuments, museums and joy/play lands effective November 8, a notification signed by the Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh, the director general of the agency.

The order — signed under the Punjab Environmental Protection Act, 1997 — will remain in force till November 17 (Sunday) within the territorial jurisdictions of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan Divisions i.e. Districts of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahudin, Sialkot, Narowal, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Mulan, Lodhran, Vehari and Khanewal.

The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Lahore's air was more than 20 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In Multan, it was up to 48 times higher on Friday.

Punjab residents have been trapped in thick smog for over a week ever since the air quality index (AQI), which measures a range of pollutants, spiked above 1,000 — well above the level of 300 considered 'dangerous' — according to data from IQAir.

Schools in some of Punjab's major cities were ordered shut on Tuesday until November 17.