Lahore: The Punjab government has warned citizens of the detrimental and dangerous effects of the ongoing smog calamity in the province, and citizens have been asked to take additional care in this respect, an advertisement in the leading daily reads.
As per the advertisement, the provincial government has declared SMOG a calamity under Punjab National Calamity (Prevention & Relief) Act, 1958. The advertisement advised the citizens to take following precautions:
Wear mask while going out
Use eye protection and glasses
Wash hands and eyes frequently
Keep windows and doors closed
Use indoor air purifiers for clean breathing air
Restrict unnecessary movement of sensitive groups such as children and elderly
Consult doctors in case of flu, nausea, cough and shortness of breath
In addition, the advertising warned of the potential legal ramifications of violating environmental protection procedures. The advertisement also warned against smoke-emitting automobiles, stubble burning, the failure to install zig-zag technology on brick kilns, and improper emission control systems in industrial systems. It was confirmed that violators will face FIRs, severe penalties, and jail. In this respect, the administration has built up an SMOG monitoring control cell at Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab Control Room. The citizens are instructed to report any violations at helpline number 1129.
Punjab has been under a thick curtain of SMOG with the start of winter with Lahore declared as the worst performing metropolitan city in the world in terms of SMOG and air quality index by the American Air Quality monitoring unit. If not controlled, the air quality may further deteriorate in the province.
Nauman Ahmad is an imaginative Pisces whose love for literature and nature is unparalleled. When he's not reading or hiking, he's sleeping and eating, which gives him plenty of energy for his next adventure.
