The Lahore High Court (LHC) has hinted at ordering a week-long lockdown in the city for schools and offices due to deteriorating air quality, according to a report in The News,
Several public interest petitions regarding Lahore’s air quality index were heard by Justice Shahid Karim (AQI). According to the AQQI rankings, Lahore has been classified as the most polluted city in the world for the past week.
The judge stated that in desperate times, extraordinary measures must be taken and that a health emergency in Lahore must be declared to deal with the problem.
The court was told by a director of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority that the haze had decreased during the last week. In the coming week, he hoped that the haze would continue to subside.
The court received a report from a judicial water commission, which stated that it had issued notices to 47 sugar mills for generating air pollution and failing to establish water treatment units.
On behalf of a petitioner, Azhar Siddique contended that the provincial government had failed to fulfill its statutory duty to regulate pollution.
Advocate Sheraz Zaka, who represents another petitioner, said the commissioner must shut down factories that pollute the air and cause smog. He further claimed that the administration failed to prosecute those who engaged in stubble burning.
The traffic police were commended by the LHC judge for managing traffic congestion in the city and guaranteeing the free flow of traffic.
Justice Karim postponed the hearing until next week, warning the PDMA and other institutions that if the air quality index does not improve by the next hearing, a lockdown will be imposed.
Separately, Justice Karim dismissed other petitions ordering the police not to interfere with the authorized operations of oil depots accused of selling contaminated, low-quality oil products and thereby contributing to air pollution.
