On Friday, The News reported that the Punjab government is preparing for artificial rain in Lahore later this month to combat rising pollution.
the first instance of its kind anywhere in the country.
Bilal Afzal, the province’s minister of the environment, and Mansoor Qadir, the minister of education, organized a meeting to discuss the city’s short-, medium-, and long-term goals for reducing pollution.
Those in attendance included representatives from universities, the Environmental Protection Agency, SPARCO, the Secretary of the Environment, and Rashid Kamalur Rehman.
It was determined, in order to cut down on smog, that preparations would be made for artificial rainfall on November 28 and 29, provided that gloomy weather was forecasted for those days.
Read More
The minister of the province put forward the idea of establishing a working group and committee to advise on the development of rain-making machines.
According to Bilal Afzal, clouds are very important, and the working committee ought to examine the concept of artificial rain in Lahore from a comprehensive perspective. He stated that, in the end, the Chief Minister would support the recommendations made by the working group.
Lahore, Jhang, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Nankana, Bahawalnagar, and Sheikhupura are the cities in Punjab that have the highest levels of air pollution.
On November 18, the Lahore High Court issued an order requiring all businesses, including schools, in areas affected by the pollution to close their doors. In addition, the court mandated that the government must give its employees the opportunity to work remotely two days every week.
Reason behind artificial rain in Lahore
South Asia’s industrialization, economic progress, and population growth over the past 20 years have increased energy and fossil fuel demand.
Incinerating agricultural waste, cooking and heating with solid fuels, and cremating the dead are peculiar to South Asia. However, factory and car pollution affect other locations.
This year, burning stubble in Punjab and Haryana for rice harvests causes 75% of New Delhi’s pollution. This created more space.
Road traffic has increased due to the region’s expansion, raising pollution. The number of cars on Pakistani and Indian highways has been rising since 2000.
Government forecasts show roughly eight million cars on New Delhi’s roads by 2022, or 472 per 1,000 people. Four years running, Swiss business IQAir has designated it the capital city with the most filthy air.
Share this content:
