ISLAMABAD: The Federal Capital’s ambiance started tainting on Tuesday as cold and dry weather started clouting the metropolis amid a steady rise in air pollutant’s ratio due to increased vehicular emissions and human activities.
The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) daily air quality report noted that the air pollutants ratio recorded was below permissible limits and the air quality was healthy.
The air quality data was collected by Pak-EPA for 24 hours based on three intervals of eight hours of data collection from different locations of the Federal Capital.
The Pak-EPA data revealed that the air quality throughout the three intervals of data monitoring remained low as the ratio of pollutants ratio was below the permissible limits of national environmental quality standards (NEQS).
The hazardous air pollutant particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), which was a lethal atmospheric contaminant, remained 32.33 micro grams per cubic meter on average which is lower than the NEQS of 35 mic-programs per cubic meter and denotes the air quality healthy.
The PM2.5 is generated through the combustion of an engine, industrial emissions, burning garbage or inflammable material and dust blown up by fast-moving cars plying on non-cemented patches of the roads.
Moreover, the frequent forest fires in the federal capital also created high suspended particles, dust and particulate matter in the atmosphere.
The nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were recorded below the permissible ratio as they were recorded 4.23 and 21.12 micro-grammes per cubic meter in past 24 hours in the atmosphere against the NEQS of 80 and 120 micro-grammes per cubic meter respectively.
These effluents were mainly produced during the operational activities of industrial plants and factories that were already under control. The EPA urged the masses with respiratory conditions and other critical heart or lungs diseases to avoid prolonged outdoor visits and wear face coverings and goggles when the air quality was unhealthy while venturing outdoors.
