Air Quality In Pakistani Cities "Alarming"

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IANS Islamabad May 10: "The air quality in six major Pakistani cities has deteriorated rapidly, says an official study, with the number of vehicles there having increased by almost 300 per cent in five years.

“Air pollution has attained serious proportions in several parts of six major cities — Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi — because of growing levels of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide,” says the study by the environment ministry that was carried out in 2004 and released on Tuesday. The report found greater concentrations of volatile organic carbon (VOC) and total suspended particulate (TSP) matter in all these cities. It said in the last five years, the number of vehicles plying in these cities — housing anything between 25 and 30 million people — has increased by 300 per cent.

In Islamabad alone, the number of registered vehicles in 1998 was just 60,000 whereas in March 2005, the number of vehicles was 340,000, an official of the vehicle registration authority told IANS. He said the number did not include the vehicles plying in Islamabad but only those registered. Almost similar is the situation in other major cities of the country.

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TSP matter levels, according to the study, were found to be the highest in Lahore followed by Quetta, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Karachi. In Karachi, the level of carbon dioxide was found to be 24 part per million (ppm) in comparison to the US standards of 10 ppm. The corresponding figures were 16 ppm in Peshawar, 26 ppm in Lahore, 17 ppm in Quetta, 16 ppm in Rawalpindi and 12 ppm in Islamabad. Lead concentration in Lahore was found to be the highest. Sulphur dioxide concentration was found to be 50 parts per billion (ppb) in Lahore, 44 ppb in Quetta, 42 ppb in Peshawar, 43 ppb in Karachi and 37 ppb in Rawalpindi, as compared to the US standard of 38 ppb."

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http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=051127