Daily Times

The last three days saw law enforcement authorities arrest over 50 shopkeepers and seal another 100 business points in violation of the smog SOPs. Crackdowns and strict action against all violators have become a norm across the province where the administration is up and running, trying to catch up with the orders from the top brass.

These attempts to screech the brakes on a fast-deteriorating situation should have been a call for appreciation had the ground reality changed for the better. Because Lahore seems perfectly contented, perched upon the list of most hazardous cities in the world with its AQI soaring through the roof, the government’s anti-smog steps have so far failed to achieve anything worthwhile. Year after year, talk-of-the-town smog season comes back to haunt us with an increasing tenacity while those at the helm of the affairs are forced to blow dust off some snap-shot interventions and pray for a miracle has been the norm for the last so many years. The emergency situation may result in a reactive line of action from the concerned departments but Pakistan has yet to formulate a comprehensive long-term sustainable plan to protect its citizens. As if crippling life in Lahore with the toxic haze was not enough to satiate its appetite, this “seasonal activity” has now launched a far more lethal plan, spreading its tentacles as far as Islamabad.

Considering how Punjab already owns a Smog Action Plan, thanks to a verdict from the Lahore High Court, trying to find out why the machinery plays possum would be a worthwhile exercise. Although dramatic visuals of arresting small shopkeepers do make for high-impact headlines, perhaps the caretaker government could take a step back and strike at the bigger picture. Smog, being a direct result of industrialisation on top of the increased use of fossil fuels in road transportation, is known to all. In addition to creating awareness about the impacts of burning crop residue and garbage, the authorities should point their loaded guns towards the industrial sharks who continue to trample upon the environment in their greed for profits. *