Schools closure extended as smog emergency declared in Lahore, Multan
Punjab govt prepares 10-year plan to combat smog: Complete lockdown will be enforced for three days: Time of hospital OPDs extended until 8:00 pm, employees’ leaves cancelled: Construction work banned for 10 days
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The Government of Punjab has enforced smog health emergency in province’s two big cities – Lahore and Multan – and also announced that the schools’ closure will be extended by another week, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a news conference in Lahore on Friday, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb revealed that the provincial government has readied a 10-year plan to combat smog.
Schools closure will be extended by one more week and online classes will be conducted in all schools, colleges and universities, she maintained.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said complete lockdown will be observed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
The minister said the time of the OPDs at all hospitals has been extended to 8:00 pm in order cope with the increasing number of patients affected from the smog. Leaves of all government hospital employees have been cancelled, she added.
The minister declared that there will complete ban on construction work throughout Lahore from Saturday (tomorrow) for 10 days.
Talking to reporters, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the worsening smog is a disaster not only for Lahore, but for other cities as well.
The minister said the government has been working to deal with the smog issue since March as Lahore's Air Quality Index (AQI) levels are not up to international standards.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said a 10-year smog policy was formulated on the directives of the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and tasks were assigned to all the stakeholders. The 10-year smog policy has set sectoral targets, she added.
She said “I met Justice Shahid Karim of Smog Commission yesterday and informed him about all the goals and action plan. I would like to tell the judge what are the causes of smog and air pollution,” she added.
The Senior Minister said a lot of positive suggestions have been received from WWF and other organizations in this regard.
For the first time, 1,000 super seeders have been provided to farmers and 5,000 are to be distributed in Punjab.
Punjab government is going to install environmental control system and cameras will also be installed for checking chimneys of industries, Marriyum Aurangzeb said.
She said Lahore forest cover should be 26 percent but it is three percent only and increasing it is part of the smog action plan.
E-Vehicle Regime Law did not exist but legislation was enacted, she added.
She informed that the enforcement is going on as the gas emission analyzers have arrived.
Work is going on for eight months to 10 years and the smog is a long-term process and three-month targets are set as an emergency, the minister said.
She said 20 squads were activated in Lahore and notification of health emergency is being issued.
She further said that more than 25,000 people fell sick due to smog in one week and the number of asthma patients increased extraordinarily. Supply of medicines has been ensured in hospitals, she added.
Detox Lahore campaign has been started in Lahore and Multan divisions, the minister said and added, the period for closing schools is being extended and the decision to open schools and colleges will be taken next Friday.
Apart from Murree district, schools, colleges and universities are currently closed till next Friday and all classes will be online, the minister said.
Reporter Rao Dilshad Hussain