Lahore: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday revealed that the government’s imposed COVID-19 lockdown had improved air quality levels in several of the country’s major cities, a news source reported. It specifically stated that limited transportation activity in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, and Faisalabad had resulted in improved local air quality within the last two months.
On the other hand, climate change expert Kashif Salik at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) said that the price of oil had decreased during the COVID-19 lockdown. He added that two-third of decline in oil prices since December 2019, along with declining sales of vehicles since March and 83% of reduction in motorway traffic had directly impacted the human eco-cycle. He opined that the disease has affected the lifestyle of humans.
Meanwhile, the local meteorological office data of Lahore has recorded a significant improvement in the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) following the limited movement of people and vehicles during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
A senior pulmonologist at Jinnah Hospital stated that Lahore had witnessed very fine quality of air after a long time. He added that the patients suffering from respiratory disorders were not complaining about stinging eyes, shortness of breath, or nausea problems.
