Pakistan: Lahore administration launches crackdown as smog hits hazardous levels

Islamabad: Air pollution has soared to hazardous levels in Lahore city, compelling the city administration to launch a crackdown on the high-emitting industrial sector.

Punjab’s provincial capital Lahore faces extremely bad air in winter due to crop stubble burning, and emissions from transport, industries, and coal-fired plants.

The Lahore administration says it has adopted a “zero-tolerance policy” to environmental violations and has started inspection and monitoring of smoke-emitting factories and industrial units, including those that were earlier declared fit. A wide range of actions by the provincial government include sealing factories and units with no scrubbers for emission control, heavy fines, and action against those burning stubble in the fields and open spaces, says the city administration spokesman Imran Maqbool.

Punjab health department suggests that masks should be worn outside and asked people to refrain from outdoor activities on heavily-polluted days. The department also asked the public to keep windows closed until air quality improves and encouraged the use of air purifiers.

Hazardous air quality

Lahore city’s air quality levels (AQI) had remained unhealthy the whole of October and hazardous for the last two days, reaching as high as 361 on October 31, according to the IQAir monitoring platform. AQI values below 100 are considered satisfactory and anything above 100 is unhealthy. The air pollutant called the particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in Lahore “is currently 44.7 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value” as per IQAir.

Smog has become a ‘fifth season’ in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore. The air quality worsens in winter when warm air traps all the pollutants leading to low visibility, traffic disruption, and health issues. Lahore frequently ranks among the most polluted cities, second only to India’s capital New Delhi.

Citizens demand urgent action

The citizens of Lahore have appealed to the government to take action to reduce toxic pollution, demanding urgent implementation of laws. Activists who have been campaigning for clean air for years say that the government policies on air pollution have been “all talk and no action.”

“Every winter we suffer from health issues due to the smog. We hear that factories are being sealed and fined, but why is air quality only worsening every year? This is a serious public health crisis and we demand urgent action on the ground by the government” says Samia Rehman, a Lahore-based school teacher.

What is smog?

Smog, a mix of smoke and fog, is a specific type of air pollution that reduces visibility and can cause serious health problems such as irritation to human eyes, nose and lungs. Air pollution is now one of the biggest health and environmental threats, which kills at least 7 million people prematurely each year, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

What do health experts suggest?

Health experts have advised people to stay indoors, drink plenty of water, wear face masks outside, carry inhalers and invest in air purifiers to minimize the effects of air pollution. In the latest report published in the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), researchers Farah Naz and Abedullah suggested these measures:

• Investment in energy-efficient buildings and power generation

• Improving domestic, industrial and municipal waste management

• Building affordable public transport systems and bicycle-friendly routes

• Reducing agricultural waste incineration and forest fires

• Air purification like smog-free towers

• Invest in gas-to-liquid technology

• Universal access to clean, affordable fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting