NASA images reveal toxic smog blanketing Lahore and Delhi

Images shared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) clearly revealed the thick air pollution in Pakistan's Lahore and India's capital, Delhi. Satellite photographs revealed toxic smog clouds blanketing the cities.

Space-borne photography showed thick smog shrouding Lahore and Dehli. The picture captured the area of the province of Punjab, east into India, and premises beyond.

Since last month, the smog has been interrupting the routine in the major cities of the neighbouring countries, prompting Pakistan’s authorities to close the schools and leaving hundreds of thousands of people at health risk.

The images of the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Multan this weekend showed the dark haze engulfing streets and blocking buildings from view.

This is not the first time that ominous yellow haze blanketed the skies due to a combination of stubble burning, coal-firepower plants, fossil fuel traffic, and windless days; it is an annual phenomenon in Punjab.

Here, the winter started with worsened AQI, as the colder and drier air traps pollution rather than lifting it away as warm air does. 

Earlier, the record-breaking AQI reading crossed the 2000 mark last week in Multan and its surroundings, resulting in reduced visibility. 

Due to worsening air pollution, the administration of Nishtar Hospital of Multan has established two smog counters in the OPD and Emergency wards. 

Previously, on Monday, the United Nations Children’s Funds (Unicef) expressed concern that over 11 million children under five years of age are in peril due to intense smog that is severely impacting the environment of Pakistan’s Punjab.

Abdullah Fadil, a Unicef representative in Pakistan, called for urgent efforts to deal with air pollution and protect children’s health.