School days have been restricted to four a week; public is facing breathing difficulties; office attendance is urged to be reduced to 50 percent; unnecessary outdoor activities are discouraged - although the threat of pandemic still looms, these are not Covid restriction but those proposed for combating smog in Lahore and other areas of Punjab. After Covid lockdown, it seems that pollution lockdowns would become a norm - especially after how air pollution has become a regular season in the country’s most populous province. Every winter, Lahore - popularly known as the city of gardens - turns into a city of smog, while the situation is equally poor in adjoining areas and other cities of Punjab as well as other major urban centres. Five cities in Punjab were listed among the 50 most polluted cities in the world in 2020, but the situation in Karachi is no different where higher temperatures and sea breeze come as the saviour.
It is the seventh season of smog in the country, yet the situation has not been tackled. It is only getting worse with increase in vehicular emissions; nil check on industrial pollution; increased coal power plants and return of furnace oil; no respite in biomass burning; and no strategy to mitigate industrial emissions and crop burning. Around 40 percent of poor air quality is due to transport sector followed by a sizable chuck by the industrial and power sector.
Besides the dropping mercury levels and dew points, what contribute towards the relatively increased level of air pollutants into the atmosphere (that turns to smog) are the increased agricultural activity as well as crop burning on both sides of the border. Also, higher motorization levels in the province, new power plants including the coal power plant in the middle of a populous city of Sahiwal are also key contributors to increased air pollution in the province. Punjab also houses most small and cottage industries.
Occurrence of smog consecutively over the last 5-6 years has still not resulted in a holistic plan to combat this menace. Rather, the authorities have always resorted to band-aid solutions and ad hoc measures to control the issue temporarily and limitedly. Where the country aims to increase the share of renewable in the energy mix to 30 percent by 2030 and continues to voice its concerns over climate change at all international forums, addressing air pollution - a component of the environmental challenge - has received little attention in terms of policy and long-term strategy.
No doubt temporary measures such as targeting garbage burning, crop burning, reducing traffic to control vehicular pollution, monitoring pollution hotspots during peak smog season, and clamping down brick kilns etc. is much needed. But the right approach should be a year-round policy that may eventually bring down the factors that contribute to poor air quality.
The seriousness of efforts is reflected in half-hearted attempts when on one hand anti-smog squads target small and cottage industries, and on the other hand coal power plants are coming up while furnace oil also returns to power generation mix with a vengeance. The government is also considering deploying UAE cloud-seeding technology of artificial rain to solve the smog problem, but these measures are insufficient. Efforts should also be directed toward more sustainable measures that could yield long term results.
Vehicular emissions should be a top priority as these contribute the most to poor air quality.
A holistic policy is needed by all departments that continue to work in silos. What is happening currently is akin to band-aid on a bullet wound!