Islamabad puts drivers on notice as smog crisis worsens

Pakistan faces a growing crisis as smog levels worsen in Islamabad. A truck driver named Muhammad Afzal was caught driving with his exhaust pipe emitting thick diesel fumes, leading to him being fined and threatened with having his vehicle impounded if he didn't fix it. This is part of the crackdown by authorities to combat soaring smog levels in winter months due to atmospheric inversions that trap pollutants at ground level.

The city has already registered seven very unhealthy days for PM2.5 particulates, surpassing safe levels recommended by the World Health Organization. The capital region is overwhelmingly choked by its transport sector, which produces 53 percent of toxic PM2.5 particles. A research group says that the haze over Islamabad is not the smoke of industry but the exhaust of a million private journeys - a self-inflicted crisis.

Announcing the crackdown on December 7th, EPA chief Nazia Zaib Ali said over 300 fines were issued at checkpoints in the first week, with 80 vehicles impounded. The city has also begun setting up stations where drivers can have their emissions inspected, with those passing receiving a green sticker on their windshield.

Other residents say they worry the government's measures will not be enough to counter the worsening winter smog. An anthropologist says that he feels uneasy when thinking about what he will say if his daughter asks for clean air - that is her basic right.

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CEO / Co-Founder

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