Smog knows no borders, Pakistan minister: Punjabs on both sides need a plan

Speaking to The Indian Express implicit the phone, Aurangzeb stressed connected the request for “smog diplomacy”.

“It is simply a nationalist catastrophe for some countries, particularly some Punjabs. If we look astatine the information of the past three-four days, the AQI successful Lahore changeable up to utmost levels forcing america to unopen our superior schools. The absorption of the upwind from the Eastern Corridor, blowing from India towards Lahore, is affecting america the most. Our constituent is, this is not political. It’s each based connected technological information and conditions specified arsenic wind, implicit which nary 1 has control. The lone mode guardant is to bring the smog contented to the array and enactment together,” said Aurganzeb.

“Basically some Punjabs request to enactment unneurotic connected this. According to what our CM has expressed, some countries request to person a associated smog mitigation enactment program — time-bound with deadlines and sectoral targets… Our CM is of the presumption that it should not beryllium dealt with done a governmental lens betwixt 2 countries… We volition beryllium penning a missive to our Foreign Office, astir most apt by today, which I presume volition further constitute to the overseas ministry successful India… We are hopeful that India volition respond positively.”

Asked if the winds from India were the lone crushed for Lahore’s contamination woes, she said, “No, the winds from India are not the lone reason… But yes, information shows that during the paddy harvest play commencing successful October till precocious December, erstwhile upwind absorption and upwind changes besides happen, and Diwali is celebrated crossed the border, the smog encapsulates the full region. As soon arsenic upwind changes direction, the AQI successful Lahore drops to 200 oregon so…. As I said, some the countries request to research and survey much information connected this. It’s not similar that I americium blaming India oregon vice-versa,” she said.

Aurangzeb said Pakistan itself is facing a stubble burning challenge. “The quality betwixt our and Punjab’s paddy stubble occupation connected the Indian broadside is of magnitude. The fig of farmers and size of farms successful India is huge. Here, we are distributing ace seeder machines to farmers to negociate paddy stubble and besides making arrests. Yesterday only, we arrested implicit 100 individuals for stubble burning,” she said, adding that vehicular emanation was different crushed for Lahore’s deteriorating aerial quality.