Environmental Apocalypse: Lahore air quality | OP-ED | Security Lense | 30-oct-2024
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, has once again drawn the attention of environmentalists due to a dramatic surge in its Air Quality Index (AQI). As a populated city of nearly 15 million on the Indian border, Lahore recently topped IQ Air’s ranking as the world’s most polluted city. Despite a special session by the Punjab Assembly to address the crisis, Lahore’s repeated appearance at the top of the IQAir index is an indication of ineffective policies by Punjab’s Environment Protection Department and Pakistan’s government overall.
Understanding AQI
The Air Index Quality (AQI) is a tool to communicate the range of outdoor air quality. It is divided into six colored categories according to an index range. A high AQI value indicates a high level of air pollution and a precarious health concern as well. According to this scale, an AQI of above 100 is considered dangerous for people and is to be dealt with several precautionary measures. A recent report by dawn indicates AQI recorded at different places in Lahore, with as high as 11 pm and as low as 400 at WWF-Pakistan. According to the scale value of AQI, these values should be subjected to a national emergency and Lahore air quality is most likely to affect everyone living in the city. The most aggravating concern is that the city is functioning at its normal place with the officials discussing how to address this issue this year. With a persistent record of the city to top the AQI index, no long-term solution and policy is implemented.
Punjab Government’s Ineffective Policies
The secretary of the Environment Protection Department, Raja Jahangir, despite formulating a legitimate policy to address the issue, has responded to the situation, by blaming the neighboring state, India for the situation in the city. Shockingly, his response also resonates with the response of former Health Secretary for Punjab, Dr. Javed Akram, who last year blamed the Indian farmers behind the rising smog level in the city.
Blaming India for this precarious environmental issue would not guarantee a safe passage to the citizens of Lahore, instead, it reflects the shallow strategies, used by the Punjab government to mitigate the public pressure and strengthen their political agenda.
Reliance on Short-Term Fixes
According to the Punjab State of the Environment Report 2023, Lahore air quality is considered moderate, while the U.S Air Quality Index (AQI) indicated higher and very healthy scale values of AQI in the city. The report also discussed the induction of a pollution-free transport system to enhance Lahore air quality but no initiative has been implemented except the Orange Line Bus service in Lahore.
The main hurdle in mitigating the smog levels in the city is the dependence of the province government on short-term solutions. Recently, a crackdown has led to the arrest of 957 suspects. With 1245 cases registered against them. This development has just spurred when the AQI is skyrocketing.
The Punjab government is seemingly following a pattern every year to curb the smog in Lahore but unfortunately, all the actions of the officials are short-term. The government, every year, searches for a haven and declares a week-long public holiday which is subjected to the loss of education of students as there are approximately 2000 educational institutions in Lahore. Another critical aspect of this environmental issue is the safety of solo and daily wagers for families.
The condition of health in the city is declining and the rising level of poor air quality is one of the prime reasons behind that. This not only promotes poverty but also raises a question about the accountability of the government of the province in ensuring the safety of individuals’ lives.
Strategic Actions for Lahore Air Quality Improvement
To ensure the lower levels of AQI, the government of Punjab should work on cooperating with the Planning and Development Department to curb the deteriorating Lahore air quality.
The city is overpopulated and the construction especially the extra real estate constructions one of the prime reasons behind increased pollution in Lahore. Instead of these constructions, the government should initiate a project focused on constructing landfill sites responsible for dumping heavy construction materials.
The government should also initiate different awareness campaigns across the city to spread the word and make people feel accountable for formulating a safe environment. Moreover, Industrial waste should be properly dumped and the authorities should ensure that it will not contribute to the increased levels of AQI. It is also critical to control and mitigate agricultural activities in the city.
There is no doubt, that being an agricultural country, it becomes a daunting task but a proper check and balance can ensure good agriculture growth vis a vis a safe environment across the city. All in all, it is the responsibility of government to keep a check on these initiatives all year long to escape a horrible environmental catastrophe in the future.
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