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Islamabad: Several flights were delayed for hours and major highways were closed in Pakistan on Thursday as the country’s cities grappled with poor air quality. Flights to Dubai and Istanbul were among dozens delayed due to smog that has engulfed the southern city of Karachi, said Saif Ullah, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority. The metropolis, with a population of around 20 million, is among the worst-faring cities on the global air quality index. In the central province of Punjab, low visibility caused by thick smog forced the closure of a major highway between the capital Islamabad and the eastern city of Lahore. (dpa)
Smog occurs when fog combines with smoke, which emanates in October and November when farmers in the agrarian belt of Pakistani and Indian Punjab burn remains of paddy crop to clear their fields for sowing wheat.
Smoke from chimneys of industrial units and brick kilns around Lahore aggravate the problem, said Hasaan Khawar, a spokesman for the Punjab government.
Authorities responded by ordering the closure of schools and offices on Mondays, setting up special units to crack down on industries and imposing fines on farmers, Khawar said.
But the measures have hardly been successful as Lahore remained the most polluted city in the world in November, causing lung and respiratory diseases and blocking sunshine and visibility. New Delhi in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Beijing in China, Kabul in Afghanistan and Tehran in Iran are also among the worse 10 on the air quality index.
Smog occurs when fog combines with smoke, which emanates in October and November when farmers in the agrarian belt of Pakistani and Indian Punjab burn remains of paddy crop to clear their fields for sowing wheat.
Smoke from chimneys of industrial units and brick kilns around Lahore aggravate the problem, said Hasaan Khawar, a spokesman for the Punjab government.
Authorities responded by ordering the closure of schools and offices on Mondays, setting up special units to crack down on industries and imposing fines on farmers, Khawar said.
But the measures have hardly been successful as Lahore remained the most polluted city in the world in November, causing lung and respiratory diseases and blocking sunshine and visibility. New Delhi in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Beijing in China, Kabul in Afghanistan and Tehran in Iran are also among the worse 10 on the air quality index.
