- Al Zaabi expresses his concern about the fog situation in Pakistan.
- The UAE envoy says he is in contact with the Pakistani government
- He says that smog must be controlled by all possible means.
ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates has offered Pakistan material and technical assistance to reduce the effects of smog in different parts of the country.
In a short interview with News The UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, here today, Saturday, expressed his concern about the fog situation in Pakistan, especially in the state of Punjab.
He noted that the UAE administration provided technical assistance to Pakistan to help it overcome the fog last year while the caretaker government was in power here.
He added that the UAE provided special cloud seeding aircraft that helped in artificial rain in some areas and brought relief to the brotherly people.
Ambassador Al Zaabi said that the smog was annoying and must be controlled by all possible means. He expressed satisfaction that the administration here had taken appropriate steps to check the situation.
The UAE envoy said that he is in contact with the Pakistani government and hopes that it will take further steps to alleviate the suffering caused by smog.
The UAE helped Pakistan seed rain clouds in December last year, in the first experience of its kind for the South Asian country.
Planes equipped with cloud seeding equipment flew over 10 areas in Lahore on December 16, 2023, which is often classified as one of the worst places in the world in terms of air pollution.
Mohsin Naqvi, then chief minister of Punjab, said in a press conference that artificial rain was used to combat dangerous levels of smog in the Punjab capital.
CM Naqvi had said that the “gift” was given by the UAE.
“Teams from the UAE, with two planes, arrived here about 10 to 12 days ago. They used 48 flares to create rain,” he told the media.
The UAE is increasingly using cloud seeding technology, sometimes referred to as artificial rain or blue skies, to produce rain in arid areas of the country.
Weather modification involves releasing common salt – or a mixture of different salts – into the clouds. The crystals encourage condensation to form rain.
It has been deployed in dozens of countries, including the United States, China and India.
Experts say that even very modest rainfall is effective in reducing pollution.
Air pollution in Pakistan has worsened in recent years, as a combination of low-quality diesel fumes, smoke from burning seasonal crops and cold winter temperatures combine to form stagnant clouds of smog.
Lahore suffers more than others from toxic smog, which suffocates the lungs of more than 11 million people in the city during the winter.
After Punjab, the smog has spread to multiple areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well.