Smog in Pakistan

What's SMOG? It's not fog.

The current smog with toxic air is very unusual in Punjab with main concentration in Faisalabad & Lahore. This smog contains toxic air, compressed of ground ozone also called bad-ozone. Ground Ozone is not emitted directly into the air but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight.

Lahore falls among the worst smog affected cities in the world. After effecting Lahore now smog hits Islamabad. 

Main Sources of Smog

NASA Reveals the real culprit behind the smog in Pakistan is India

According to New York Times, the farmers in those areas burn the left over straw instead of getting rid of it through other means. The left over straw is as much as 32 million tonnes, which would explain the cause of the smog. The farmers say that they cannot afford to buy expensive equipment to clear the land so they resort to burning it instead."

Emissions from industries & motor vehicle exhaust are the main sources of NOx and VOC. Breathing ground Ozone can trigger a variety of health problems, particularly for children the people of all ages who have lungs diseases such as asthma. Due to stable atmosphere (persistent dry weather) during day dry winter months, Ground Level Ozone is very common in New Delhi (INDIA) and Shanghai (China) but first time observed in Lahore.

Wear Mask & glasses while traveling. It's better to avoid traveling.