UAE offers assistance to help Pakistan overcome its smog crisis

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has extended an offer of technical and material assistance to Pakistan to help mitigate the severe smog affecting various regions, particularly Punjab.

UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi, expressed his concern about the hazardous fog in the country, emphasising its detrimental impact, especially in Lahore, one of the world’s most polluted cities.

The UAE previously provided support in the form of cloud seeding, a weather modification technique that helped bring artificial rain to the region last year.

In a recent interview, Ambassador Al-Zaabi highlighted the UAE's role in assisting Pakistan during the smog crisis in December 2023. At that time, special aircraft equipped with cloud seeding technology were deployed over Lahore and surrounding areas.

The planes released flares containing salts into the clouds, triggering rain and reducing the toxic smog that had blanketed the city.

This intervention was hailed by Pakistani officials, including Punjab's caretaker chief minister, Mohsin Naqvi, who referred to the operation as a "gift" from the UAE. The artificial rain provided temporary relief from the air pollution, which was choking millions of residents in Lahore.

The UAE has been using cloud seeding for several years as a means to induce rainfall in its arid climate, and this technology has been successfully deployed in other countries such as China, India, and the United States.

Accordinf to experts, even small amounts of rainfall can significantly improve air quality by clearing pollutants from the atmosphere.

The smog in Pakistan is primarily caused by a combination of industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, crop burning, and colder winter temperatures, which trap pollutants in the air, creating thick haze.

Lahore, in particular, suffers from hazardous levels of air pollution during the winter season, impacting the health of over 11 million residents. The problem has now spread to other areas, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, exacerbating the environmental and public health crisis.

Ambassador Al-Zaabi reaffirmed the UAE's ongoing commitment to supporting Pakistan in tackling this critical issue, urging the government to continue taking measures to address the smog and its harmful effects on the population.