LAHORE: Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said that because of suitable atmospheric conditions expected in January, artificial rainfall could once again be employed to bring further reduction in smog levels in Lahore.

He said this during a meeting with Ahmed Al-Kamal, head of the cloud-seeding team from the United Arab Emirates’ meteorology department, chief pilot Michael Anstis and pilot Col Ubaid, at his office on Tuesday.

The CM thanked the team members for their work to induce artificial rainfall to reduce smog and also expressed gratitude for the UAE’s cooperation for the first-ever such successful attempt in Lahore’s history.He said that further efforts would be made to induce artificial rainfall, once again, when the required atmospheric conditions are met, with the assistance of the UAE team.

The CM mentioned that the air quality levels remained below 200 for several days after the artificial rainfall in Lahore.

The first-ever artificial rainfall operation in Lahore now stands as a milestone in the history of weather modification, he added.

Al-Kamal expressed optimism about another successful artificial rainfall experiment in January, and thanked the Punjab government for its hospitality, stating that Pakistan is their second home.

Provincial Ministers Amir Mir and Bilal Afzal, weather modification expert Brig Nadeem, DG EPA, Chief Meteorologist Ch. Muhammad Aslam and CAA’s Senior Joint Director Muhammad Altaf were also present.

Meanwhile, Lahore experienced a significant deterioration in air quality on Tuesday.

The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was reported to be at an unhealthy level of 189 in the early hours of the day.

The primary pollutants were recorded at PM2.5 and PM10, with concentrations of 110 µg/m³ and 146 µg/m³ respectively. The PM2.5 concentration was alarmingly as it was 7.3 times above the recommended limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

As the day progressed, the air quality worsened, reaching an unhealthy AQI of 218. The PM2.5 concentration in Lahore was reported to be 36 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value. The temperature in Lahore was recorded at 12C.

The smog situation in Lahore has been a cause for concern for some time now. The worsening air quality and smog situation in Lahore have raised serious health concerns among the residents.

The experts advise the residents to wear masks, stay indoors, keep windows closed, and use air purifiers to avoid harmful impact of smog.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2024