Daily Times

Lahore has been hit with another wave of closures, with the Lahore High Court authorising a 10 pm curfew on all markets and restaurants in an attempt to reduce unhealthy smog levels in the provincial capital. Just last week, the LHC ordered a three-day closure of schools, which has now been extended indefinitely. Air pollution is increasingly becoming one of Pakistan’s main environmental concerns with Lahore positioned centre stage as the most polluted city in the country. A high concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has left the city’s population vulnerable to a large array of respiratory diseases. It is estimated that, across the globe, approximately two million deaths are caused by air pollution each year of which a staggering 25 per cent are caused by PM2.5.

Lahore’s AQI levels, currently 30.2 times the WHO’s recommended guidelines, warrant large-scale intervention that goes far beyond a temporary closure of businesses and schools. Like other developing countries, Pakistan’s pollution nightmare is rooted in a complex web of interactions between unsustainable population growth, unchecked industrial activity and large levels of urban migration. Automobile exhaust gasses, industrial sector pollutants and unsafe agricultural practices such as burning stubble have all contributed to the city’s pollution problem. As if this wasn’t bad enough, over the last two decades, Lahore has witnessed a marked rise in the use of motorcycles and motorcars, which routinely emit harmful gasses into the air. It is not usual to see vehicles enveloped in a thick cloud of suffocating smoke.

Throughout history, countries all across the globe have experienced severe air pollution during periods of rapid industrialisation. In countries where citizens demand action against environmental pollutants, the state is more likely to respond with strong policies and gradually improve air quality. Until a few years ago, Lahore had no mechanisms in place to reduce air pollution-in fact, it is hardly talked about. Even now, most people consistently understate the consequences of air pollution despite seeing the damage it incurs firsthand. In 2014, the Chinese government introduced a “war against pollution” and has recorded a 32 per cent reduction in particulate pollution ever since. If Pakistan resolves to launch a similar long-term initiative against pollution, the reward would be healthier and fuller lives for its citizens who are tired of the government’s incompetence. An organized effort must be made to make the masses aware of the implications of pollution-not doing this is a breach of their preordained rights but it will take huge levels of investment and a whole lot of patience before we are able to actualise this dream. *