LAHORE Nov 13 (TNS): Over the past 24 hours, a number of road accidents occurred due to low visibility from smog, claiming the lives of two people and wounding dozens in Kasur.
Traffic continues to be adversely affected due to the weather, especially at the Motorway.
Moreover, a number of international and domestic flights have either been canceled or postponed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. Flights to Karachi, Muscat and Doha have been canceled.
Meanwhile, a rain system has entered Pakistan that is expected to dampen the adverse effects of smog.
Quetta, Chaman, Noshki and other adjoining areas of Balochistan received the first rainfall of the winter season Sunday night.
Moreover, the Pakistan Metrological Department has predicted rain in Karachi, parts of Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa, FATA, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
The environmental experts believe that the rainfall will clear the smog enveloping cities in Punjab and KP.
The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 in the province, banning the burning of crops, tyres, and garbage until further notice in a bid to mitigate the effects of the smog.
Smog in the provincial capital had crossed all the international benchmarks early this week as the level of PM 2.5, which is termed the most dangerous pollutant in the air across the world, remained between 450ug/m3 and 500ug/m3 against the notified standards of 35ug/m3 per day.
As per World Health Organization standards, the daily average level of PM 2.5 should not be more than 10ug/m3 and aggregated annual mean 25ug/m3 in a day whereas as per a gazette notification of the Punjab government, the daily limit of PM2.5 is 15ug/m3 and aggregated annual mean 35ug/m3 per day.
