Air Quality – Slumping again

If the air wasn’t as deadly as it got during COVID-19, we Lahoris are now facing other problems with the air. Rather we are facing a persisting problem again now that the masks have come off, which is the air quality. 

As the summer kicks in and the rain takes a back seat, all that pollution, and dust stays stagnant in the air. The industries keep churning out gasses and perhaps the country burns more fuel given the electricity demand goes up and the power stations kick in to cover it. 

Sure, we can understand the reasons why the air quality is so bad, but that is no excuse for us to keep living this way. Might as well give us a gas mask and call it a very slow nuclear holocaust! 

The conditions right now are the same, to be honest, the only difference is that there is a mushroom cloud missing in the sky hovering over us. 

IQAir is the most reliable website for checking air quality around the globe, and according to it, Pakistan has the third-worst air quality in the world. To further put competition amongst the cities inside of Pakistan, Lahore checks in at a third position of the most polluted air ranking, with a US AQI of 102.

This is 7.2 times higher than the WHO annual air guideline value! We better get our masks back on, right away!

According to the website, this is going to go up to 155 US AQI on 23rd August which is very worrying. 

Here are a few things that we recommend you do to improve the air quality within your house premises:

• You should always roam outdoors with a mask on
• Close your windows to avoid dirty outdoor air
• Get an air purifier 
• Everyone should reduce their outdoor exercise

As the country enters its pre-monsoon season, we are hopeful that the air quality will improve by a margin, but until then, everyone needs to watch out for their health. More importantly, make other people aware of this situation by word of mouth, because we all must live a healthy lifestyle.