Gone are the days when winters were used to be the pride of Lahore city. As, since the last two decades the chilly season is the most hazardous and unpleasant feature of the historical capital of Pakistan. Because the factor of smog poses a serious threat to the visitors and inhabitants’ health in winter as its fine particulates PM 2.5 and PM10 affect the lungs and brain of children and elders with serious consequences. So far all environment and civic authorities in Lahore have failed to arrest this menace, but Smog Purify Towers recently developed and installed in many developed cities can be tried as a solution of this environmental problem. As, these giant Towers can capture 70% of PM10- the tiny particles of pollution which affects lungs and brain.
Hazards of Smog in Lahore
In a previous blog, infocus.pk already mentioned that “Lahore is continuously being ranked as the world’s worst city for its air quality, with air pollution levels ranging from very unhealthy to hazardous for human health. That has put the metropolis 11 million people at risk of contracting serious heart and lung diseases and even cancer. Yet, the government’s response to the problem has remained either as outright denial or blaming Indian farmers for burning wasted-crops.”
Smog is one of the biggest environmental phenomena in Lahore during winter which paralyzes life in the city. Recently the Meteorological department has issued warning a week ago, that fog has returned to the plains of Punjab due to low air pressure and change in weather patterns, which causes smog. It is alarming because now it seems that smog doesn’t need now any cold weather in Lahore to arrive and hover in atmosphere.
Depleting Green Spaces
On the other hand the forest cover of Lahore has been reduced by 70% in the last 12-13 years due to which the city now faces acceleration of health and respiratory issues due to smog and poor air quality. Once was the “City of Gardens”, but today Lahore has only 3% of green area, which is continuously being paved to make room for asphalt and concrete in the shape of roads and buildings respectively.
That raises serious and increasing concerns about smog and overall air pollution levels in Lahore. Around the world modern cities are experimenting and installing Smog-free towers to refresh the quality of outdoor air and reducing the chances of health diseases. And, these towers in multiples spaces can be the answer of Lahore’ air quality’ woes.
“Smog Vacuum Cleaners”
Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde and his firm Studio Roosegaard was the first who created a 23-foot-tall air purifier called the Smog-Free Tower in 2015. For three months he kept the Tower at Jordana Park in Kraków to clean up the air. The device is considered the world’s first “smog vacuum cleaner”, which essentially sucks up smog from the top and then releases the filtered air through its six-sided vents. When the filtered air is released, mixing with the dirty air around it, the result is air with an up to a 45% reduction in PM10 pollution within 20 meters of the tower, cleaning more than 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour approximately. Now, the installation of these towers has become one of the most sought-after technology across the globe.
The air purifier was specifically created to be used in public parks as a local solution to air quality. And, as Lahore is called the “City of Gardens” the new technology is an ideal solution to arrest smog in the metropolitan in the upcoming winters.
By
Editorial, Infocus
(Courtesy Aljazera for Title Image)
