As a short-term emergency measure to deal with the growing smog crisis and save people from hazardous air, the installation of Pakistan's first ever smog tower in Lahore is a step in the right direction. But if the Government of Punjab plans to install more such towers in Lahore and other parts of the province, it should do not move ahead without first studying how they have fared in smog-hit cities like Delhi, Rotterdam and Beijing where they have been installed; and conducting a cost-benefit analysis of this investment.
Smog towers are air purifiers consisting of multiple layers of air filters at the bottom which suck polluted air inside; purify them across these multiple layers; and then release them back into the atmosphere. The company that has developed the Lahore's smog tower claims that in a few days after the installation of the tower – in Mahmood Booti neighbourhood of the provincial capital – the AQI here has come down to 250 from 1,600. It says if 200 such towers are installed throughout Lahore, the city will become smog-free.
Environmental experts, however, differ as to the utility of a smog tower. Some believe such towers are the need of the hour given the unavoidable amount of pollution in metropolitan cities these days, while others insist that their effects are not widespread and long-lasting – something that does not justify their cost of installation and maintenance.
The menacing smog crisis, meanwhile, warrants a long-term multi-faceted approach targeting air pollutants, including vehicular emissions, smoke emanating from crop burning, dust particles from construction sites, industrial waste, etc. While the Government of Punjab has devised what is called a comprehensive smog control strategy, there is need to ensure stringent implementation to put words into practice for a safer, cleaner air to breathe.
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