Smog is a serious issue for health especially in Lahore, Pakistan. The air quality index of Lahore is 1000 plus, and it is way higher than World Health Organization (WHO) standards. It has been the most polluted city in the world for the last few years and its bad air quality is impacting the lives of the citizens of Lahore. Clean air is also the fundamental right of the citizens whether it is explicitly mentioned in the constitution or not. Many diseases like throat infections, respiratory tract infections and eye infections are very common in the days of October to January every year. Outdoor activities are limited and people, especially children, are forced to stay indoors. Walking or jogging in the parks which is considered a very healthy activity is discouraged in smog days. It is advised by health experts to avoid all kinds of outdoor activities in Lahore.
On a public health front, smog presents a grave concern, with its fine PM 2.5, penetrating deep into the respiratory system, causing respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, and even premature death. The whole population, including children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, are particularly at risk. One of the main causes of rising smog in Lahore is its unchecked and unplanned growth. Urban planning and smart governance are also missing in this big metropolitan area. The problem of smog will not be resolved by short-term measures only. There is a need to devise a detailed long-term plan to curb this disease of smog otherwise the lives of people living in Lahore will be more miserable. The following points can be taken into consideration for making action plans to control it in big cities.
More use of public transport can help reduce smog in big cities. The government should support and incentivize public transport. Public transport vehicles should be exempt from paying all kinds of tolls and from annual token tax. Free parking facilities for cars should be discontinued and Parking fees should be imposed on cars in all parts of Lahore. However, parking should be free for bicycles.
Electric transport should be encouraged. The registration fee for e-bikes or cars should be almost zero and there should be no or less taxes on the sales and manufacturing of electric vehicles. Orange Line metro train runs on electricity that is very eco-friendly. Its fare should be reduced, and it should be only Rs. 20 for all stations. The number of Speedo Feeder Buses should be increased and these buses should be electric too. Daewoo (Bus Service) operates electric buses for its passengers to commute between Kalma Chowk Terminal and Thokar Niaz Baig Terminal.
People should not be allowed to concrete the space outside the space between house walls and the road except the ramp in front of the gate.
Schools or other educational institutions should encourage students to use public transport or school vans. All academic institutions including medical and engineering colleges/ universities should devise a merit criterion such that students from nearby areas (e.g. Tehsil, Town (10 marks) and district (05 marks)) get some extra marks while securing admissions. Similarly, extra marks for nearby locations should be allocated while applying for government jobs for grades 1 to 15 in all departments. Moreover, mutual transfer of government employees especially in grades 1 to 4 should be allowed if two employees want to switch/ transfer because of the long distance from residence.
The commercialization policies of the government have also deteriorated the lifestyle of many housing societies which once had peaceful residential areas for residents. Many residential areas in Lahore have been converted into commercial areas causing many people to move to far-flung housing societies in the suburbs of Lahore where they can have peaceful residential living but their businesses or jobs are still in the old city areas. Very few old housing societies have been able to preserve their calmness in residential areas by not converting residential areas into commercial markets. Several families have been living in Lahore for many decades but they have to migrate to new distant housing societies because of this haphazard commercialization in their old housing areas. Now, they have to commute long distances for education, jobs or business and this also causes air pollution in Lahore.
Many housing societies offer underground electricity which is good for a clean and green environment. One is not wrong if one says that housing societies with underground electricity are more aesthetic than housing societies with open electric wiring. This also avoids the untidy bunch of electric meters on electric poles. As there are no wires in these housing societies, trees can grow tall and huge. The electricity department does not need to cut trees beneath wires every season. This also results in fund-saving. The government should waive all kinds of registration fees and taxes and reduce the time for approval for housing societies that offer underground electricity systems.
Cycling culture should be promoted. Government and private organizations should give interest-free loans to their employees for bicycles. Students should be provided with free bicycles. There should be no parking fee for them in parking lots in big metropolitan areas. To minimize the carbon prints, one private university in Lahore allows only those cars to enter its premises which have more than one student in a car. Such measures should be adopted to keep the environment clean and green in Lahore.
Many juice and milkshake shops in different areas/colleges/universities give juices/shakes only in disposable glasses. They don’t have other re-useable glasses which can be used again after washing. Such shops should be asked to have reusable glasses also. Disposable plates and glasses create a problem for waste management also. Plastic water bottles especially 500 ml should be banned in government offices and wedding halls.
Many roads have electricity poles with wires on three sides of the road. One row is in the central green belt, and one is on left and one is on right side of the road. Covering three sides of the road with electricity poles and wires creates hindrance in the growth of the trees. This creates a very untidy view, too. Such practice of covering three sides of the road with electricity poles and wires should be avoided. There should be a policy to allow only one side of the road for electricity transmission purposes. Ideally, there should be an underground electricity system.
If possible, the level of green belts (central and sides) should be below the road level as is currently in Johar Town Lahore. This will keep roads cleaner as dust and water will slide into lower green belts. As water will not stagnate on the roads, they will be long-lasting. Rainwater will be absorbed in the lower green belts, and this will also raise the underground water level. The structure and design of the dividers on the road need to be modified in such a way that dust and water can slide beneath the dividers. This change in the design of the divider will be helpful in a way that the dust will not be contained or accumulated near the divider. The road will look cleaner and it will reduce the workload of road cleaning staff.
People should not be allowed to concrete the space outside the space between house walls and the road except the ramp in front of the gate. The space should be green with plantation and its level should be below the road level. This model is currently being practised in some housing societies like DHAs in Lahore. The bylaws of LDA also forced the residents to make the sideways of the road below the road level. When the level of concrete spaces outside the house wall is higher than the road level, it causes lots of smog and dust on the road. The dust and smoke particles keep rotating on the road when there is traffic. As the road level is lower than the side concrete land, the dust slides down to the road from the higher level of side concrete land to the road level. This results in more smog on the roads.
Narrow streets should be widened, and all encroachments should be removed from all residential areas like Iqbal Town and Sabzazar Housing Schemes etc. Anti-encroachment drives are only practised in commercial areas and residential areas are overlooked every time. Wide roads help in the ventilation of the metropolitan city. Moreover, some main roads in Lahore should be modified to serve as ventilation corridors of the city to blow away the smog, as practised by China in Beijing and Shanghai.
According to a report published by the UN Environment Program, reducing air pollution required a comprehensive plan of action which involved reducing the burning of coal and biomass, conserving energy and promoting public transportation.
The writer is an academic and a researcher.