LAHORE - The National Highways and Motorway Police in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan arranged a seminar on smog at the Shiekhupura Training College Shiekhupura. The objective of the seminar titled “smog, its causes, impact, and prevention” was to create awareness among public in order to discourage the emissions from transport sector, industry, and crop residue burning. Speakers on this occasion stressed upon the need for making collective efforts to control the phenomenon of smog formation.
Commandant NHMP Training College DIG Mehboob Aslam, Deputy Commandant SP Ghulam Qadir Sindhu, Minister for Chief Minister’s Inspection Team Ajmal Cheema, Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Sumaira Samad, Senior Director WWF-Pakistan Masood Arshad, and Secretary Transport Authority Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal were also present on this occasion besides others. The speakers highlighted the main causes of smog formation, industries contributing in it, impacts of smog and suggested preventive measures.
DIG Mehboob Aslam said that during past few years smog had posed a severe safety threat to the commuters travelling on Motorways and Highways. Many precious lives and property worth millions have been lost in road crashes resulting from poor visibility caused by smog. Minister for CM’s Inspection Team Muhammad Ajmal Cheema called for coordinated effort by all the relevant departments to tackle the issue of smog. He said the government is encouraging introduction of new agricultural techniques and also working hard for awareness of farmers and other stakeholders. Masood Arshad, Senior Director WWF-Pakistan said that Lahore is among the 10 most polluted cities in the world in terms of air quality. Air pollution caused by traffic, industries, crop burning and burning of solid waste is major contributor of smog, he said. Smog is significantly damaging human health, quality of life, and having adverse impact on economy and environment, he added. Additional Chief Secretary Sumaira Samad and DG Agriculture (Extension) Dr Anjum Ali Buttar also spoke on this occasion.
