JOURNAL OF LIAONING TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
(NATURAL SCIENCE EDITION)
LIAONING GONGCHENG JISHU DAXUE XUEBAO (ZIRAN KEXUE BAN)
辽宁工程技术大学学报（自然科学版）
COMPARISON OF URBAN CLIMATE IN MULTAN AND OTHER BIG CITIES OF PAKISTAN
Muhammad Noman Sheeraz*, Shafqat Ullah, Saleha Afzaal, Faria Nawaz, Asmat Ullah, Hafiz Saeed-ur-Rehman, Jaffar Hussain, Muhammad Asif, Sana Ullah, Muhammad Kashif Munir, Siraj Ahmed
ABSTRACT
Background: Now a day’s smog is the major concerns in the world as well as in Pakistan. Smog is one of the biggest sign of climate change. There is more pressure on local habitats and air pollution as a result of a growing percentage of the world's population living in urbanized areas. Air pollution is the term used to describe any chemical, physical, or biological influences brought about by human activity that interferes with the environment's natural processes. This study was conducted to assess air quality status in Multan, and to compare it with Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi through Air Quality Index (AQI) and Multi Pollutant Index (MPI) and their correlation.
Methodology: For this investigation, major air pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter were used and compared with Punjab Environmental Quality Standards. The AQI was determined using Eq. 1. AQI= (CO/5) + (NO2 /40) + (SO2/80) + (PM2.5 /15) + ((PM10/120)) 5×100 and multi pollutant index were determined by MPI= (1/n) [{(ACi-GCi/GCi}]. Air quality indices, Multi Pollutant Index (MPI) and the Air Quality Index (AQI) were used in the study. Overall condition of the air pollutants in the particular location was described using the Air Quality Index.
Results: The average ambient air pollutant concentration of Multan was 200μg/m3. The average AQI of Multan was 100μg/m3 followed by Faisalabad (80μg/m3), Karachi (150μg/m3) and Lahore (200μg/m3). Carbon monoxide concentration in all four cities was higher (400μg/m3) as compared to other pollutants. The occurrence of smog in Lahore was higher than Faisalabad, and Karachi. The significant concentration of air pollutants were noticed in Multan district. Results showed that Multan is moderately unhealthy to hazardous AQI values and poor air quality according to MPI values.
Conclusion: Air quality is deteriorating in industrial and traffic-congested city where pollution levels significantly exceeded the threshold values. Using the linear regression, the results confirmed the strong association between the AQI and MPI. There is a need for immediate action to be taken to lower pollutants’ concentrations and improve air quality in urban areas of Multan, Pakistan.
Keywords: Air Quality Index, Multi Pollutant Index, Pollutants Concentration, Multan Pakistan