Daily Times

The Punjab government declared an environmental emergency and announced the closure of schools three days a week amidst unprecedented smog levels, due to Lahore and the surrounding region being declared as having the worst air quality in the world. The government has also instructed local departments to ensure the anti-smog plans’ implementation. These orders were issued at a time when a catastrophic smog situation affects large swaths of urban areas every winter. These steps are only a last-ditch solution without really tackling the root cause of the issue. School closures are symptomatic of a systemic failure to address a severe public health hazard crisis that has plagued the people for nearly a decade.

The brick kiln industry is a major contributor to air pollution. Despite the ban on brick kilns operating on traditional technology and the presence of viable alternative brick baking techniques, brick kiln owners keep violating smog Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by burning dirty fuel such as rubber tyres in clandestine ways.

According to Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) figures, there are 20,000 brick kilns in Pakistan, mostly around the periphery of urban regions, with around 90% located in Punjab and Sindh, which produce around 45 billion bricks annually. The most commonly used brick kilns are the ‘Fixed Chimney Bull’s Trench Kiln’ (FCBTK) which mainly uses coal and rubber as fuel and emits a slew of harmful gases like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and extremely hazardous particulate matter (PM), including dark carbon. Research by the ‘Journal of Cleaner Production’ indicates the annual emission of carbon monoxide from kilns in South Asia ranges from 2.5 to 3.9 megatonnes; carbon dioxide emission ranges from 120 to 127 megatonnes; and PM ranges from 0.19 to 0.94 megatonnes.

Smog is a long-term product of air pollution which cannot be fixed overnight. It requires an equally long-term effort to combat effectively. Addressing one of the root causes of this problem will pave the way for a cleaner, safer air.

The cold air in the atmosphere entraps these pollutants and does not allow them to disperse, leading to a toxic pall of smog, which descends mostly during winter (October to December), causing heart, respiratory, and lung conditions like asthma and bronchitis, among others. According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), Lahore consistently ranks among the top 10 cities with the most polluted air, with a PM2.5 concentration averaging 233, along with some Indian cities. The PM2.5 concentration in December in Lahore was ten times higher than the recommended limit of the World Health Organization’s 24-hour air quality guidelines value.

The Punjab National Calamities Act 1958 has declared smog as a calamity, and the government of Punjab rightly introduced a policy on controlling smog in 2017, which included banning brick kilns without emission control equipment or using substandard fuels. Hence, the Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab, in collaboration with a Nepalese environmental organization and the ‘All Brick Kiln Owners Association of Pakistan’ took a bold initiative to introduce environmentally sustainable and economically viable zigzag brick kiln technology in Pakistan. The zigzag layering of the bricks increases fuel efficiency. It results in the release of white smoke and has lower levels of air pollution. Kilns using this technology emit a lower content of particulate matter emissions and reduce them by 60% they also cut down coal consumption by 40% – resulting in a significant reduction in smog.

The initial transition requires between US $15,000 and $20,000 to convert a traditional kiln into zigzag technology. Zigzag kilns also have higher land and labour costs than typical traditional kilns, and usually consume higher-quality, pricier coal. This adds to brick kiln owners’ reluctance to convert to this new technology. In this matter, the government has authorised 6% subsidised loans to traditional kiln owners for constructing or converting to zigzag kilns. Yet, many brick kiln owners still prefer to rely on cheap waste materials as fuel, causing the discharge of harmful pollutants into the environment. So far, according to the Ministry of Climate Change, only 11,000 out of the total 20,000 brick kilns have switched over to zigzag kiln technology. Given the daunting smog situation, this transition needs to be expanded quickly.

Some of the measures which could speed up the process are: Firstly, the resale of used vehicle tyres – the main fuel for brick kilns – needs to be regulated. Their sale should be banned, except for recycling. Secondly, brick kiln owners can be provided with cheap loans to incentivise the conversion of traditional brick kilns to zigzag technology. The annual profit of the zigzag kiln is double that of a traditional kiln, and owners can recover their initial investments within a short time frame. The focus should be more on brick kiln conversions rather than on shutting them down in winter, disrupting the industry and the lives of the labour. Thirdly, currently, unregistered brick kilns should be registered and documented all over the country. Fourthly, more robust inspection teams are needed on the mohalla/village level to ensure that kiln owners abide by the smog SOPs.

Smog is a long-term product of air pollution which cannot be fixed overnight. It requires an equally long-term effort to combat effectively. Addressing one of the root causes of this problem will pave the way for a cleaner, safer air.

The autheor is a researcher at the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS). She can be reached at casslahore@gmail.com.