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Air pollution cuts life expectancy by nearly 4 years in Pakistan: report

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1 year ago

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  • Particulate pollution increased by 49.9% in Pakistan from 1998 to 2021.
  • About 98.3% of country’s population lives in areas that exceed its own national air quality standard.
  • India is responsible for about 59% of the world’s increase in pollution.

Increasing air pollution in Pakistan may shorten life expectancy by at least seven years in the country’s most polluted regions like Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Peshawar, according to a report published by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) in its latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) on Tuesday.

According to AQLI — a pollution index that translates particulate air pollution into its impact on life expectancy — particulate pollution is the second greatest threat to human health in Pakistan (behind cardiovascular diseases), reducing 3.9 years of life on average. 

If Pakistan meets the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of limiting average annual PM 2.5 concentration to 5 micrograms per cubic meter, the average resident in the country could gain 3.9 years.

In contrast, child and maternal malnutrition, and maternal and neonatal disorders reduce average life expectancy by 2.7 years.

All of Pakistan’s 240 million people live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO guideline. According to the report, 98.3% of the country’s population lives in areas that exceed its own national air quality standard of 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

The AQLI also stated that from 1998 to 2021, average annual particulate pollution increased by 49.9% in Pakistan which reduced life expectancy by 1.5 years.

In Punjab, Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the most polluted provinces of the country — 65.5 million residents, or 69.5% of Pakistan’s population are on track to lose between 3.7 to 4.6 years of life expectancy on average relative to the WHO guideline and between 2.7 to 3.6 years relative to the national standard if the current pollution levels persist, AQLI stated.

The report further read that if Pakistan would meet WHO’s guideline, then Karachi residents would gain 2.7 years of life expectancy whereas residents of Lahore would gain 7.5 years and people in Islamabad would gain about 4.5 years of life expectancy.

The report added that India is responsible for about 59% of the world’s increase in pollution since 2013.

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Drugs worth $1 million are seized by the Pakistan Navy in the North Arabian Sea.

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2 days ago

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Pakistan Navy Ship PNS MOAWIN, according to ISPR, used naval air assets to perform a boarding operation on a suspicious boat and confiscate the drugs that were concealed in the ship’s hidden compartments.

An estimated one million US dollars is the international market value of the narcotics that were seized.

International shipping lanes were being used to deliver this shipment of drugs.

Within the region’s maritime borders, the Pakistan Navy is always engaged in stopping all types of illicit activity, ISPR continued.

A spokesperson for the ANF Headquarters stated that earlier, during seven operations, another security unit of the nation’s anti-narcotics unit (ANF) seized more than 149 kg of drugs valued at more than Rs 40 million and detained four drug dealers.

He reported that 30 capsules containing heroin had been found in the stomach of a traveler at Peshawar International Airport who was headed to Jeddah.

Another operation resulted in the arrest of a suspect after 31 inebriated tablets were found in a package close to an Islamabad park.

150 grams of ice were found in a package that was shipped to Australia via a Karachi courier service.

90 kilograms of opium and 10 kg of heroin that had been concealed for smuggling were found during an operation in the Balochistani district of Chagai.

In the fifth operation, 45 kg of hashish was found in an uninhabited part of Balochistan’s Coastal Line Pasni. Three kilograms of hashish were found in Hyderabad on a suspect.

During the seventh operation, 500 grams of ice and 1 kilogram of heroin were found in the custody of a biker who was stopped close to the Iqbal Shaheed Toll Plaza Attock.

Additional investigations are underway, and cases have been filed under the Narcotics Control Act against the arrested suspect.

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Outsourcing of Airports: Deputy Prime Minister Commits to Transforming Aviation into a Profitable Sector

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4 days ago

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Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has instructed the implementation of all feasible measures to render aviation a viable industry and to enhance service quality for travelers.

He provided these directives while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad concerning the outsourcing of airports and the advancement of the aviation sector.

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Punjab Food Authority Seals Mini-Factory Manufacturing Counterfeit Milk in Nankana Sahib

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4 days ago

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The Punjab Food Authority’s food safety team has sealed a mini-factory manufacturing counterfeit milk and has destroyed thousands of liters of contaminated milk.

The Punjab Food Authority spokeswoman stated that the team executed the operation in the Sayeddwala region of Nankana Sahib.

The food safety team conducted a raid on the milk plant, where counterfeit milk was being produced using hazardous and banned substances.

The crew secured the factory, confiscated the goods, and filed a case against the plant owners at Syedwala Police Station.

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