ISLAMABAD — • Marriyum says situation much better than previous years, thanks to concerted efforts • Indian monitors criticised for ‘under-reporting’ pollution over Diwali; authority claims toxicity levels ‘too high’ to record LAHORE: The Punjab government insisted on Wednesday that there should be no politics over smog, environmental protection and public health, as these issues concern the lives, health and future of millions of people. “Smog is not a political issue.
It is a scientific, environmental and public health challenge,” senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference on Wednesday, even as Lahore, Multan and other major cities and towns in the province remained blanketed under a thick layer of smog. On Wednesday night, Lahore remained on top of the global ranking of major polluted cities, recording an air quality index (AQI) reading of 358. Meanwhile, the toxic smog in second-placed New Delhi — with an AQI reading of 248 on Wednesday — was so severe this week that air pollution monitors in the country were overwhelmed after pollutant concentrations exceeded the upper measurement limits on their instruments.
This meant that official data failed to capture the full extent of the smog for several hours overnight Sunday into Monday, just as pollution surged with a barrage of fireworks for Diwali. A few days ago, Ms Aurangzeb had blamed Diwali fireworks in India for the