Saama Nasir
Smog is intensely polluted fog that reduces visibility to extreme extents due to its packing density. Since it commonly occurs due to smoke, the term “smog” was coined as a combination of the two words “fog” and “smoke”. In Pakistan, Lahori winters are notorious for excessive smog that severely diminishes visibility. These very smog levels keep ensuring that Lahore’sair quality index does not improve. In Lahore, smog is most dense and persistent during the months from October to February. As these winter months gradually start to create fog, the usual pollution from the cars, kilns, and industries mixes with the smoke produced as farmers burn out the throw-away remnants of the crops during this period; all these contaminants mix up with the fog which traps them in and keeps them lingering in the environment for months to come. Since smog is fog densely packed with extremely harmful pollutants, it has a long list of harmful effects to the human body. From irritation of the airways to increasing risk of lung and heart disease, and disrupting skin barriers and causing skin irritation, smog brings nothing but disasters to human health – not just for the generation breathing in smog, but also for generations born from them. Some of the harmful effects of smog include:Respiratory diseases such as emphysema, pneumonia, Heart and blood disease, lung cancer and other chronic diseasesFatigueEye and nose irritation, Nervedamage ,Aggravation of already present health issues such as asthma attacksWith all these adverse effects, it is crucial that we protect ourselves from smog in any way that we can. The cheapest and simplest rite to protection against smog and its adversities is to simply stay in the relatively cleaner environment of your home or office. While it may be impossible to stay indoors 24/7, one thing you can do is to plan your day according to smog predictions. For example, you can reduce your time outdoors during the morning and afternoon hours as these times have the highest particulate matter density in the environment. Staying indoors is useless if your windows are open and polluted air from the outside enters your home. Minimize interaction with the external environment. Pollution from the environment is bound to seep in no matter how many barriers you put up. It is therefore imperative to set up systems that keep your indoor environment running and pure. Indoor air purifiers are easily available in the market, and are loaded with effective filters that keep filtering the pollutants out. You can look up filters according to your personal needs, for example, if someone at your home is a patient of a chronic respiratory disease or is simply susceptible to allergies or other respiratory issues, then you might want to buy a more effective filter with HEPA filters that collect pollutants as small as dust, pollen, and irritating chemicals. There are multiple types of facemasks available in the market that must be worn when going outside in polluted air. You can opt for simple surgical facemasks or more effective ones such as KN95 or N95 masks depending on smog levels in that particular month and time of the day, as well as on your personal suitability. Living in any environment makes it very important for us to ensure that the pollution is all washed out of our bodies. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to detoxify your body. You should also wash your face, and rinse your nostrils and mouth regularly to wash away the pollutants before they go further down in your body. Smog almost entirely exists only due to human activities, and that means each one of us contributes to it in one way or another. The easiest way that you can play your part in improving your city’s air quality is to reduce your personal carbon emissions. For example, you can use the metro bus or orange line train instead of your own personal car or single-person taxis. If fifty people shift from cars to buses or trains, that reduces pollution worth fifty cars just like that. Burning trash is also a common contributor to smog. If everyone makes effort, we can all together make Lahore a better place to live. Awareness campaign is being run by the government of Punjab to tackle with danger before it will affect a lot of people. Heavy fines are being imposed to people having unfit cars, burn crops and adding pollutants in the environment in order to deterthem for their own benefit. According to Punjab provincial disaster management authority duptycommissionor will be able to impose fine R.s 5000/- on burning of crops residue, environmental protection department will be able to impose fine upto R.s 100,000/- on brick knils owners who will release black smoke in the environment. In addition, industrial area will also be in accountability to make environment secure in all ways.
