Harmful smog deteriorates the air quality in the big cities of Pakistan and India. This month, air pollution has spread over the capital of India, New Delhi.
16.11. 15:35•Updated 16.11. 16:09
The Taj Majal, one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, is covered in smog. At New Delhi International Airport, visibility dropped to a few hundred meters this week. In-person teaching in primary schools has been suspended for the time being due to poor air quality.
The air quality in neighboring Pakistan is also record low in some places this year. In Pakistan’s most populous state of Punjab, school doors will remain closed for at least another week.
For example, in Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, the air quality is still about 30 times lower than the limit value recommendations of the World Health Organization WHO, although the air quality has slightly improved since last month.
– Universities and other educational institutions are moving to distance learning to ensure the safety of students, says Punjab’s environment minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Last month, the authorities banned outdoor exercise and changed the hours of classes so that students would avoid traveling to school during the worst air quality.
Overload in hospitals
According to the WHO, long-term breathing of air pollution increases the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. In less than a month, more than 36,000 patients with symptoms related to the health risks caused by smog have applied to Lahore’s hospitals.
In Pakistan, around 12% of deaths among children under the age of 5 can be attributed to air pollution.
Smog is created when the air cools as a result of the combined effect of traffic, agriculture-related burning and cooling of the air.
AFP, Reuters