Pakistan deploys mobile anti-smog guns to clear toxic Lahore skies

Dubai: Pakistan has rolled out mobile anti-smog guns in Lahore as the city braces for another suffocating winter. The truck-mounted cannons spray a fine mist of water to capture dust and particulate matter, helping to reduce airborne pollution. Officials from the Punjab Environment Protection Agency said 15 units have been deployed across the city in the first phase.

Each cannon, attached to a 16,000-litre water tanker, can shoot mist nearly 100 metres into the air. The droplets cling to harmful particles, pulling them back to the ground.

Once known as the “City of Gardens,” Lahore now ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, with air quality in Punjab’s major hubs — including Gujranwala and Faisalabad — at hazardous levels. Authorities hope the new initiative will ease conditions, though experts caution that lasting improvement requires deeper emission controls.

Last year’s artificial rain experiment failed to clear the haze, leaving residents again struggling to breathe.

Video by AFP