LAHORE: The caretaker Punjab government has decided to go for another spell of artificial rain this month to reduce smog levels in Lahore.

The artificial rain, according to the government claims, was used for the first time in the country last month to combat air pollution in Lahore where hazardous levels of toxic smog choked the lungs of more than 11m residents during winter.

Planes equipped with cloud-seeding equipment flew over 10 areas of the city — which remained the most polluted city on the air quality index (AQI) in recent weeks. The UAE government had provided support in this regard.

The UAE has increasingly been using cloud seeding, sometimes referred to as artificial rain or blue-skying to create rain in the arid expanse of the country

Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi called on Governor Balighur Rehman at the Governor’s House on Thursday and discussed public welfare projects in the province, improvement in police stations, facilitation centres and zoos.

The governor said the issue of smog in Lahore was extraordinary and extraordinary measures were needed to tackle it.

The CM told the governor that the first-ever experiment of inducing artificial rainfall had been conducted successfully and now the second artificial rainfall would be employed again this month to further reduce smog levels in Lahore.

“Other measures, including banning smoke-emitting vehicles to solve the smog problem, have also been taken,” Mr Naqvi said.

The governor also told the CM about the financial and administrative problems faced by the public universities of Punjab due to the lack of attention during the previous government’s tenure.

ASPs: A delegation of under-training assistant superintendents of police (ASPs) of 50th Common at National Police Academy, led by Deputy Commandant National Police Academy DIG Naeem Ahmed Sheikh, called on the governor.

Addressing the police officers, Mr Rehman said there were many challenges and dangers in the field of policing. He appreciated the police officers for working on the frontline to maintain law and order.

The governor further said that learning technology was very important in today’s era. He said that artificial intelligence and IT skills were important in the modern world.

“The crime rate is low in the countries where the systems and frameworks are in place. Police should create deterrence for the criminals but at the same time the public should not be afraid of visiting the police stations.”

The governor urged the under-training officers to develop liaison with the community as well.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2024