New Delhi: The fight over territory has created a rift between India and Pakistan for over five decades now. But a more recent claim by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission could widen the rift.
The Commission claims that due to excessive burning of coal by thermal power plants in India, a thick blanket of smog is shrouding Pakistan's Punjab province.
A study by the agency has claimed that the smog was caused by excessive fossil fuel combustion (mainly coal) in India.
The study, parts of which were carried by the 'Dawn' daily here today, said excessively high sulphates (varying between 49.8 and 141 mg/m3) and nitrates (from three to 74.5 mg/m3) were found as components of the smog.
It added that the chemicals are emitted during combustion of fossil fuel.
Exceptionally high traces of aerosol concentrations, including selenium, arsenic and antimony, were also found, again because of fossil fuel combustion.
A tracer study showed that air particles contributing to the Lahore fog originated from approximately 580 kilometres south.
The remote sensing satellite data taken from Meteosat, NOAA and Modis satellites reportedly showed that fog extended over 1,500 kilometres from Northeastern India to Northeastern Pakistan and was a result of excessive coal burning in India.
News agency PTI said Suparco officials claimed the findings were informally shared with Indian experts on a number of occasions but the Indian side insisted that the fog in Pakistan was the result of massive vehicular pollution in that country.
Once further findings confirmed the role of India's thermal plants in causing the smog in Punjab, the issue was likely to be taken up formally with the Indian government, Pakistan's Minister of State for Environment Malik Amin Aslam was quoted by PTI as saying.
(With inputs from PTI)
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