Back inside the gas chamber!

Lahore is choking on toxic air again. With winters, smog returns to the province of Punjab with Lahore mostly leading the global rankings interchangeably with India’s Delhi for the cities with worst air quality. Again the air pollute has soared to hazardous levels again with yesterday’s Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing 600.

Almost a decade now with this menace and the authorities has not been able to address the issue of smog in Punjab. Every year, the onset of winter season brings together the authorities and relevant departments to take ad hoc measures and everything is conveniently disregarded and forgotten as soon as two months. Main causes of the poor air quality and smog in the province include stubble and agriculture burning, industrial pollution, fossil fuel power production, vehicular emissions, and brick kilns. While some measures have been taken such as upgrading brick kilns to zig zag technology and penalizing some industries and introducing better quality fuel for automobiles; efforts have not been directed at long term solutions to these problems.

For example, transport sector is the largest contributor to air pollution; growing car sales, and increasing petroleum consumption does not show any intent or authority of those in charge in addressing the menace of air pollution. Similarly, penalizing and shutting down a handful of industrial units and manufacturing facilities for a month or two shows anything but a proactive approach in providing solution for the rising air pollution in the province.

The situation is similar in the neighboring country where the authorities in India have come up with measures over the years like Odd-Even rule for private transport, switching public transport to cleaner fuel, spraying water on roads and controlling burning of agricultural waste and firewood to address smog.

However, the situation has not improved over the years for both countries. A key factor is the short term approach only limited to a few urban centers like Lahore and Delhi. China has been aggressively working to fix its air quality since 2013 where political resolve and public pressure have both helped the country bring Beijing – once the most polluted city in the world – out of the crisis. Maybe this is what is lacking here. Not only is there is political instability, but also their pressing issues like poverty and unemployment that keeps environmental concerns on the lowest rungs of the priority ladder. Similarly, lack of awareness among the masses about air quality also keeps the authorities at ease with the situation.