: Air pollution intensified in Karachi and Lahore
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00:00 the smoke. And when we talk about smoke, the highest number of smoke is in New Delhi, which is also known as Lahore. But we have heard a lot about Karachi pollution, but here the smoke is being said that the air quality index was the highest in Karachi yesterday and Karachi was topping it and it has exceeded the limit of 406. Allah Mughbar!
00:29 Although it was Sunday yesterday, but people are usually at home on Sundays.
00:32 I was surprised that this happened. I saw it yesterday, but I thought that there was some kind of garbage burning somewhere, this smell was strange, I was getting a feeling of uneasiness.
00:44 Yes, I was outside playing cricket, so I felt it, but I was thinking that it was like this. Okay, let's tell you about the air quality index. It is live. Lahore's is 393 on the top.
00:56 And believe me, this is an average, so it will be much higher than this in different areas. It is touching 400, very hazardous. After that, Delhi is on the second number. India is 355, and Karachi is 273. It is destruction. And then Vietnam comes, then Baghdad comes, then Mumbai, then Shanghai.
01:15 And most of China, Vietnam, Pakistan and India are the countries where this air quality index is going very badly. So, may Allah have mercy on us.
01:26 As the weather changes, we see that there is fog and smoke in different cities, so when winter comes, this scene happens, but of course, the effects of smoke and fog are also there. In Punjab, Lahore is the city with the most pollution.
01:44 Due to air pollution, people's life, especially your health, problems related to it start increasing and various diseases of the lungs and eyes begin. Due to air pollution, about 70 lakh people die every year.
02:02 We are discussing the increase in air quality index and air pollution. In the list of AQIs, which countries come last? I will tell you the answer.
02:17 Salt Lake City is the 10th place, and the AQI of this city is 4. The best. After that, on the second number, that is, on the 109th number is Oslo, Norway.
02:28 After that, there is Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, that is 12th, and then on the 4th is Toronto, Canada, and on the 5th is Santiago.
02:38 Imagine that it is not going above 10-12, and where it is 400-500, it will be 500. Okay, how good will be the skin of the people who live there, how good will be their respiratory system, how good will be their lungs, how clean and neat will be the environment there.
02:51 We will have to check what they do, what is the reason, what is the population, what is it? Which millstone flour do they eat? Yes, absolutely. But first let me show you what is the situation due to smoke.
03:02 So what should be the wisdom of practice to control this smoke? We have with us to discuss this, the Minister of Environment, Mr. Bilal Afzal.
03:10 Thank you so much for joining us, Bilal Afzal. The thing is that it is obvious that arrangements are being made all over the world, and this time I did it differently, that I read the AQI of the last countries and told you.
03:24 But you are the Minister of Environment, what is happening overall? Do we have any understanding of how big a threat this is and how it is damaging our lungs irreversibly, especially the children and adults?
03:38 Have you seen any policy before this in your ministry or are you seeing something like this?
03:44 First of all, whatever you said in the package you just ran, it is absolutely correct that what are the ways we can tackle smoke or work on our AQI.
03:55 The issue is that these are all expensive and long-term solutions.
04:02 Our government, which I have seen in the last two or three years, we are active on the time of smoke, we try to do things, the media talks about it, people talk about it.
04:14 But once you stop seeing smoke, you stop working on it.
04:22 If we talk about farmer's crops, if we try to give alternate technology to our farmers, which are super seeders, for which you can plant the next crop without burning the crop.
04:34 If we take all the farmers to the super seeder in Punjab, that is a project of 70 billion rupees.
04:41 No one can do this in one year, not a single government, it needs to be a long-term strategy.
04:47 Countries like China, China took 12 to 13 years to bring their AQI under control and they do not lack the resources that we have.
04:57 Nonetheless, governments come, plan short-term and try to tackle it in the smoke season, but this needs to be a long-term strategy.
05:08 So why is there a need for a long-term strategy? Why is there no planning? What do you think is the reason for this?
05:16 Not just in our environment, but in all other places, there is no continuity of policies.
05:24 When a government gives a policy, and the opponent gets elected in the next election,
05:31 they should rather gauge the merits of the previous policies, whether the policy was right or wrong, those policies are dropped.
05:40 So the issue is that we do not take it seriously, it is not our priority, it is not our concern.
05:46 Because there are still many countries that say that environmental issues are not an issue.
05:51 So is this thought found in our country as well?
05:54 I think that there is a lack of awareness in this.
05:58 Our people, our politicians, our policy makers, how much this issue, now we are talking about it,
06:07 people have become younger, people living in Lahore, but to take it seriously,
06:13 even at the individual level, you need to think about whether my car is emitting smoke or not,
06:20 whether the smoke is coming out of my factory or not.
06:23 If everyone starts to correct themselves at their individual level, then this issue will not remain.
06:28 And Mr. Bilal, there is one more thing.
06:30 One thing is that when you gave the example of cars, we do not inspect cars ourselves,
06:36 we have cars, catalytic converters are removed, which stop emissions, the kind of fuel that is used in our country.
06:42 The second thing is that you see that when a sudden disaster comes in our country, everyone's eyes are on it.
06:48 For example, if there is an earthquake, everyone says that there is a big loss,
06:52 but 350 million people have become homeless due to the flood, because it was slow devastation,
06:56 its level was different, it does not make much difference.
07:00 Is this also a mindset of people and governments?
07:05 This is, but the problem is that you do not see the smog issue all year round.
07:11 So it gets overlooked, although it is the same, our whole year is bad.
07:17 Nonetheless, when smog comes and starts to be visible over time, it becomes an issue and then it dies out.
07:25 This should be such an issue that the environment and the solution should be that throughout the years,
07:31 your government should work on it. I will add a little about my government,
07:37 we have 12 ionizers, which are generators, machines that produce negative ions,
07:45 but the generator covers 5 km square, attracts the solid particles in the air towards itself,
07:56 and then it settles down. We have ordered 12 for Lahore,
08:02 and God willing, within 2-3 months, they will come and start.
08:07 What is the cost and how much more is needed?
08:10 Our cost is not coming to Lahore, because the company with which we have contracted,
08:16 we have done it in all the cities, but as a sample, we said that first we have to prove it in Lahore.
08:24 But usually, the generator costs about $300-400.
08:30 Okay, okay, okay. Thank you so much Bilal.
08:33 Let's see, you said that awareness is needed and we can do it in our individual capacity,
08:39 so that we can improve our environment. This is serious.
08:43 Absolutely.
08:45 The country you were referring to, where there are very few particles in the air quality index,
08:52 they have kept the order of their policies, and have taken care of the country.
08:55 The second thing is that, it is a matter of understanding,
08:58 that if something happens suddenly, then everyone gets up.
09:01 What is visible is the issue.
09:03 What happens slowly, destruction, no one cares.
09:06 Eyes are shining, mountains, exactly the same example.