1,35000 die due to bad air quality in Pakistan each year and the population of Lahore specifically has started facing a reduction of life expectancy by five years. This is what compelled Lahore-based student Hassan to come up with a tool that could protect people from the serious threats that the dense smog poses. Smog is being labeled as the fifth season of Pakistan and rightly so.
Due to sudden increase in smog, all schools in Lahore will remain closed tomorrow.
We are closely monitoring the #LahoreSmog situation.
Administration is already on high alert and have tasked them to escalate actions against crop burning and other factors that contribute to smog— Usman Buzdar (@UsmanAKBuzdar) November 6, 2019
An AQI ranking between 301-500 and above is termed as ‘hazardous’ which can have adverse consequences for the entire population. Unfortunately, Pakistan has been a victim of smog for quite some time now and no major regulations are being put in place to counter the serious issue.
Air Visual, which records air pollution levels across the globe in real-time has ranked Punjab’s capital Lahore as the second most polluted city in the world. It has got to a point where the government has shut down schools to protect the school going children from the effects of the highly polluted air. The government insists that it is putting in efforts to counter the smog while the residents continue to blame it for not tackling the issue timely.
Read More: Deadly Smog: ‘lungs’ turn sickly brown in days
According to Air now, ‘Sensitive groups’, i.e., people with lung diseases, children and elderly people, will be at greater risk. To put an end to this problem, Hassan has come up with a solution. He created an air purifier machine as a part of an assignment that he believes is budget-friendly and extremely effective in dealing with the menace of smog.
The air purifier which consumes only 30-40 watts of electricity uses a filter to remove contaminants from the air to improve indoor air quality.
"The Punjab government is taking all necessary steps to improve air quality." https://t.co/tWrMG1zGmF
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) November 14, 2019
Smog leads to a number of respiratory problems as well as eye irritation and reduced resistance to colds and lung infections, said Hassan in an interview with a private media outlet.
Hassan’s father lauded him for his efforts and linked his success to his hard work. He further said that for Pakistanis, it was the need of the hour to have a device built which saves the people from the layers of toxic smoke that have engulfed the city.
Read more: Has Smog become a fifth season in Pakistan?
Earlier this month, Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said that smog checking units had been installed in Lahore and the Climate Change department was also taking measures to increase resources to address this issue.