Pakistan’s Punjab finalizes arrangements for artificial rain to combat smog

Commuters drive along a road amid dense smog in Lahore, Pakistan on November 24, 2023. (AFP/ File)

• Rising air pollution can cut life expectancy by over five years per person in South Asia
• The Pakistani city of Lahore regularly ranks among the most polluted cities in the world

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province has made preparations to induce artificial rain to combat smog in the region, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, citing a provincial minister.
The Punjab region, straddling India and Pakistan, faces severe air pollution during winter as farmers burn crop stubble, contributing to smog compounded by emissions from low-grade diesel. Air quality deteriorates in cooler months as temperature inversion traps pollution closer to the ground, packing hospital wards with patients with respiratory problems.
This year the Punjab environment department, army aviation, civil aviation, meteorological department and the Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR) have devised a joint strategy to tackle the issue, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Artificial rain will be carried out when needed to combat smog,” Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Marriyum Aurangzeb was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
“One instance of artificial rain will cost between 5 to 7 million rupees (up to $25,290).”
The smog season peaks between October and February every year and the Pakistani city of Lahore and India’s capital New Delhi regularly top the list of the most polluted cities in the world.
Rising air pollution can cut life expectancy by more than five years per person in South Asia, one of the world’s most polluted regions, according to a report published last year, which flagged the growing burden of hazardous air on health.
In the past, the Punjab government has taken several steps, including a crackdown on brick kilns and closure of schools, to contain the smog crisis.
Aurangzeb said the crackdown on smoke-emitting vehicles, factories and other sources of toxic emissions would continue in the province.
She urged citizens to report instances of crop residue burning, smoke from industries or vehicles emitting excess smoke to the 1373 helpline.