Smog calls for urgent action

Undoubtedly, air pollution is one of Pakistan’s major environmental concerns at the moment. The situation is dramatic in the country’s second-largest city, Lahore that has been witnessing episodes of smog for the last few years. The latest smog outbreak has created an alarming situation. It is believed that the prime reason for a smog blanket is due to burning of crop residue in East Punjab and other border areas of India and Lahore. The farmers sow crops and vegetable in November for the next season, so fields are set on fire to remove stubbles of the previous crops in order to make the place suitable for fresh sowing. Many stubbles have been reported in the vicinity of Punjab and Indian cities that might further result in intensifying the smog.

However, according to experts, crop residue burning is being misinterpreted and could not be termed a major reason for smog because it has been happening for decades. There are also other man-made activities continuously deteriorating the air quality of the region, such as deforestation, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, brick kilns and coal burning. The major contributor of pollutants is eastern Punjab, which is home to coal-based industrial plants. Similarly, the number of vehicles has dramatically increased over the decade in Lahore. There are many factories all around the city that do not use natural gas and burn other types of materials, including rubber, tyre and black carbon, in order to produce the desired fuel.

Since industrialisation, people in Punjab have become accustomed to smog that may create severe health repercussions. These pollutants are detrimental to kids and older people and are linked to various infections.

During winters, the thick and dense fog does not allow the pollutants to escape and consequently forms smog by combination of fog and smoke. The photochemical smog is strongest in urban areas with calm wind and dry warm, sunny weather. Climate change is inevitable and affecting every region for decades. Smog that used to touch the city later has come early this time. Similarly, delayed rainfall intensified the situation for the city over the last few years. Even during summer seasons, haze that could only be washed through frequent rainfall seems to be prominent.

The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) labs need to be efficient and must collect empirical evidence in order to take immediate actions against offenders. Simultaneously, they must give a serious consideration to tree plantation that is a prerequisite of any developmental project. Countries like China and Poland that depend on coal for energy have badly experienced high level of industrial smog over the years. We must switch to alternative means like them and keep ourselves away from burning fossil fuels to be able to breathe more easily.

For traffic, appropriate planning is required because innumerable smoke-producing transport, such as, two-stroke auto and motorcycle rickshaws, old vehicles with obsolete engines are often seen running in the city despite being banned. These smoke-producing vehicles should be strictly penalised. The new LTC and Metro buses use good quality of diesel but only 1.5% of the total population of Lahore are availing these services. We must bring into light all impediments, and plan accordingly in order to encourage the masses to use environmentally-friendly public transport.

Air pollution is an issue that needs to be addressed on emergency basis as Lahore is now considered amongst the most polluted cities in Asia. One must learn from the initiative of the K-P government, the Billion Trees Tsunami Afforestation Project, which must be adulated as it intends to increase the forest cover by 2%. There is a dire need to revisit all the ambivalent policies and enforce afforestation to manage detrimental climatic changes. The government and all stakeholders must join hands to create awareness among people and bring reforms and kick-start a campaign to eradicate the deadly smog, and it must not squander the nation’s resources on unproductive development projects.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2017.

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