ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a webinar, while expressing serious concerns over the increasing toxicity in the air to a dangerous level in Pakistan, have stressed the need for bringing effective measures with full implementation to save the next generation from air pollution, which is affecting millions of people in Pakistan.
They said as per the World Health Organization (WHO)’s guidelines, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Pakistan is considered unsafe. According to the latest data on the AQI in Pakistan, the country’s annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is 58 µg/m3, which is far higher than the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3.
Dr Nadeemul Haque, vice chancellor (VC) PIDE, expressing his thoughts about the air pollution in the country said that many vehicles in Pakistan still use a type of highly polluting sulfur-laden gas, compounding problem of air pollution.
According to Dr Haque transportation alone is responsible for 25 percent of carbon emissions in Pakistan. He added that land degradation, poor urban planning and building construction are additional factors playing a significant role in polluting the air. He said that unfortunately, Pakistan, at present has not even reached the first phase of governing climate change, saying Pakistan’s present problem was not climate change but pollution.
Aisha Khan, chief executive the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change, while taking part in the discussion said that air pollution was a major health challenge affecting millions of people in Pakistan. He said that experts warn that inadequate action to tackle the problem could prove disastrous. It is a major problem confronting Pakistan, with cities such as Lahore and Karachi ranking among most polluted worldwide, she said.
She informed the panel that an AQI between 100 and 150 poses a potential risk to children and people with heart and lung diseases. She added that an AQI of above 150 is unhealthy for everyone, while levels over 300 points are classified as hazardous.
Dr Athar Hussain, head Climate Research and Development COMSATS University said that persistently hazardous air quality suggests that Pakistan lacks a framework to mitigate pollution. However, Pakistan has a rich history of environmental legislation, successive governments have instituted departments, laws and mandates overtime to manage air quality, he maintained.
Durre Nayab, a demographer at the PIDE said that residents of Lahore have built their own air purifiers and taken out lawsuits against government officials in desperate bids to clean the air, but authorities have been slow to act, blaming the smog on India or claiming the figures are exaggerated.
Interest in air quality in Pakistan increased when urban smog and air pollution became so inferior one could visibly see its impact. Because of its landlocked geographical location, Lahore is submerged in smog, not only impacting air quality but also restricting economic activities.
She said that creating public awareness on the subject was the need of the time and media can play most important role in this regard. Higher levels of pollutants in the atmosphere also lead to temperature change that changes the chemical composition of the atmosphere. Direct emissions of air pollutants or those formed from emissions such as sulphate and ozone, can also influence this energy balance.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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