Chandigarh: US space agency NASA's satellite imagery has spotted more stubble burning in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The satellites of NASA keep a close vigil on the happenings around the globe and reveal surprising pictures from time to time. The images shared on November 3 showed 216 cases in Punjab, 19 in Haryana, 16 in Uttar Pradesh, 67 in Madhya Pradesh and 36 in Rajasthan.
Data for the following day, November 4, revealed 262 stubble burning incidents in Punjab, 13 in Haryana, 84 in Uttar Pradesh, 98 in Rajasthan and a whopping 506 in Madhya Pradesh.
A screengrab of the affected areas (NASA) A lot of deliberations have taken place in the administrative circles of Punjab on restraining the farmers from setting the post-harvest waste on fire. But the satellite images tell the other way around as such numbers keep adding up leading to deteriorating air quality index and respiratory troubles for many.
It is worth noting here that the Punjab government in Pakistan announced the closure of primary schools in Lahore for one week due to worsening smog and deteriorating air quality in the city, ARY News reported on Sunday. Schools will be closed from November 4 to November 9, as per a notification from the Punjab Environment Department.
Senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stressed the importance of prioritising the health and safety of students amid the ongoing air pollution crisis. The decision comes as Lahore struggles with alarmingly high levels of air pollution, which have severely impacted residents' health, particularly that of children. The city has consistently ranked among the most polluted globally, prompting urgent measures from authorities, ARY News reported.
On Saturday, the air quality index (AQI) in Lahore spiked to 1,067, far exceeding the "dangerous" level of 300, and deadly PM2.5 pollutant levels peaked at 610, posing severe health risks. According to WHO standards, a 24-hour PM2.5 reading above 15 is considered unhealthy, the Express Tribune reported.
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