Islamabad: Federal capital Islamabad, long considered a refuge from the toxic winter air that blankets Lahore and central Punjab every year, is now slipping under the same dangerous smog belt, with health officials warning that the capital is breathing “poisonous, trapped air” caused by prolonged dry weather, rising construction dust and unchecked emissions.
District Health Officer (DHO) Islamabad Dr Syeda Rashida Batool said Islamabad is experiencing a “new and troubling shift,” as the city’s unusually low winter rainfall, combined with expanding construction activity and heavy traffic fumes, has created the kind of stagnant, polluted layer that once formed only hundreds of kilometres south.
She said the capital, which previously escaped the worst of winter pollution, is now reporting a sharp rise in eye irritation, throat infections, coughing fits, asthma flare-ups and breathing problems linked directly to poor air quality.
In response, the District Health Office under the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination has issued a formal smog advisory, calling the situation serious and urging residents to treat the current pollution spell as a public health threat.
Officials cautioned that children, elderly residents and individuals with asthma, heart disease and chronic respiratory illnesses are at the highest risk.
The advisory urges people to limit outdoor movement, especially during peak smog hours, and keep windows and doors closed to prevent polluted air from entering homes. Residents have also been asked to avoid burning waste, using wood-burning stoves indoors or contributing to smoke in any form.
Health authorities advised the use of masks outdoors, sunglasses for eye protection and drinking plenty of water to counter dryness caused by the polluted air.
Dr Rashida said the emerging smog layer over Islamabad can no longer be dismissed as a temporary anomaly. She warned that the combination of drought-like winter conditions, construction dust and traffic emissions has created a pollution pattern that could become a regular winter hazard if no corrective steps are taken.
She added that immediate medical attention should be sought if symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness or persistent coughing develop.
The advisory also calls for cooperation with awareness teams and stresses that protective steps taken early can prevent severe respiratory, cardiovascular and eye-related complications.
Officials say Islamabad is now confronting the kind of air-quality emergency that once seemed distant, and unless emissions and dust sources are controlled, the capital’s residents may face the same annual winter health crisis that has plagued Lahore for years.
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