ISLAMABAD: Islamabad is the seventh most polluted city in Pakistan and several studies have indicated that air quality in the country is not safe for human health and causes thousands of premature deaths annually.

Environmentalist Munir Ahmed expressed these views while speaking to a webinar as chief guest, organised by Islamabad Devcom Centennial Leo Club, in connection with the very first International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

He said that air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health, causing 7 million premature deaths annually from diseases like stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

“We immediately need to work on the air quality of Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Muridke, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2020