EDITORIAL: Pakistan’s persistent air pollution crisis is an indictment of government inaction, institutional failure, and a dangerous disregard for public health.
The latest World Air Quality Report 2024 confirms what citizens in major urban centres already know: they are choking on toxic air, and authorities have done little to change this reality.
With Pakistan ranked as the third most polluted country in the world, trailing only Chad and Bangladesh, the situation has reached an unforgivable level of negligence.
Despite widespread public outcry, annual PM2.5 concentrations in major cities like Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Peshawar continue to rise.
Lahore, long dubbed one of the world’s most polluted cities, has now breached an annual average PM2.5 concentration of over 100 micrograms per cubic metre — the highest recorded since 2018.
In November alone, air quality in multiple cities reached catastrophic levels, with monthly averages exceeding 200 micrograms per cubic metre, forcing school closures and emergency health warnings.
December was no better, with nine cities surpassing the hazardous threshold of 120 micrograms per cubic metre.
The sources of this deadly smog are well known. Biomass burning, industrial pollution, vehicular emissions, brick kilns, and construction dust are all major contributors. Yet, every winter, authorities act as if this crisis has taken them by surprise.
Year after year, emergency measures such as school closures, mask mandates, and half-hearted crackdowns on polluting industries are imposed, only for the problem to resurface with even greater intensity.
Meanwhile, the long-term solutions required to curb air pollution — such as mass transit investment, industrial regulation, and cleaner energy initiatives — remain buried under bureaucratic inertia and political expediency.
What makes this crisis even more shameful is the complete lack of regional coordination. Transboundary pollution, exacerbated by crop burning in both Pakistan and India, is a significant driver of seasonal smog.
Yet, instead of working together to mitigate the issue, both sides remain locked in mutual blame games, ignoring the fact that pollution does not respect borders.
The situation is further worsened by unregulated industrial activity, particularly in the brick kiln sector, where outdated and inefficient production methods continue to spew dangerous pollutants into the air despite repeated government pledges to introduce cleaner technology.
The consequences of this failure are dire. Studies have consistently linked high PM2.5 levels to increased rates of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, reduced life expectancy, and severe economic costs.
In Pakistan, thousands are hospitalised each year due to pollution-related illnesses, with children and the elderly being the most vulnerable. Yet, the country’s healthcare infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle the rising burden of pollution-induced ailments, leaving citizens to fend for themselves.
This crisis demands immediate action. The government must move beyond short-term, reactionary measures and implement a comprehensive air quality management plan. This includes enforcing stricter emissions standards for industries and vehicles, investing in sustainable public transport to reduce reliance on private cars, and transitioning brick kilns to environmentally-friendly technology.
Moreover, authorities must take a firm stance against agricultural stubble burning and work with regional partners to devise joint mitigation strategies.
Pakistan can no longer afford to treat air pollution as a seasonal inconvenience. This is a full-blown public health emergency that is shortening lives, crippling productivity, and undermining economic growth. Without decisive action, the air we breathe will continue to be a slow and silent killer.
The government must prove that it values the health and future of its citizens over the interests of powerful lobbies that profit from environmental degradation. The time for half-measures and empty promises is over — Pakistan must breathe clean, or it will continue to suffocate.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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