Lahore, Nov 15 (IANS) Nearly 20 lakh people have sought medical treatment for respiratory issues in Pakistan’s Punjab province in the last one month, the local health department has revealed while releasing data from its first-of-its-kind report.
It stated that Pakistani citizens are suffering from respiratory, asthma, heart diseases and stroke due to smog as Lahore and Multan remain the world’s most polluted cities.
The data showed that as many as 19,34,030 cases were reported from across the province in October, with 12,62,30 from Lahore alone.
It also revealed that over 5,000 patients suffered strokes across Punjab province in October.
The average air quality reading in Lahore remains well over 1400 in Lahore while it has crossed the 2000-mark several times in Multan.
“The highest air quality index recorded in Lahore was 2591, with readings of 2188 at Syed Maratib Ali Road, 2155 at Pakistan Engineering Services, and 1704 at Ghazi Road Interchange. The average air quality index in Lahore stands at 1460,” Pakistan’s Express Tribune reported on Friday.
Local media reported that the AQI in Karachi also saw a sharp decline on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Pakistan has dispatched an “urgent letter” to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging him to declare a “national emergency” to address this serious crisis.
“Our children’s future is suffocating. They are asking for a right to breathe, learn and play. What will it take for us to act? WWF-Pakistan has written to the Prime Minister demanding urgent measures to curb the smog emergency,” WWF Pakistan posted on X Friday afternoon.
The letter calls for an immediate halt to construction activities, the closure of polluting industries, and the removal of high-emission vehicles from the roads to help curb the current crisis.
WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khansaid said the government must take immediate, bold and decisive actions to address the smog emergency as continued inaction on the issue will lead to further health complications, economic losses and environmental degradation.
–IANS
as/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
