For the past few years during the months of November and December Lahore, in particular, and Punjab as a whole are gripped by the menace of smog which is a toxic combination of fog, smoke, dust and other health threatening particles in the air. Smog causes breathing problems, eyes and lung diseases, besides reducing visibility and causing travel disruptions.

This year the smog problem has taken on new dangerous dimensions. It is not limited to Lahore but has spread to Multan, Faisalabad, South Punjab and even Islamabad and Peshawar. Pollution or smog in the air is measured by the air quality index. According to the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department of Punjab the total air quality index in Lahore has remained dangerously high during the last few weeks. An air quality index from 401 to 500 or above is extremely unhealthy. In the early days of this month, the Air Quality Index crossed the level of 2,000 twice in Lahore and Multan. Lahore was the world’s most polluted city as the pollution level on the AQ index oscillated between 1,520 and 780 in various neighbourhoods – compared with 0-50 safe reading. Experts say that the AQ index in Lahore remains high throughout the year.

These are alarming statistics but the authorities are clueless about how to control the situation. The smog situation has been getting worse with each passing year but the government does not have even sufficient numbers of monitors to measure air quality. In 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency of Punjab proposed installing 30 air quality monitoring systems to control smog at various places in Punjab for which the World Bank provided a soft loan. But, according to government sources, this loan was not used at all.

As a result of years of neglect and failure to implement effective policies to improve air quality, smog has now taken the form of a national health emergency. As per the statistics released by the Punjab Health Department, over the last two weeks more than 1.934 million cases of respiratory diseases were reported from all over Punjab of which more than 126,000 cases were from Lahore alone. According to a report by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago, the life expectancy of the residents of a smog hit area is reduced by seven and a half years due to air pollution higher than the benchmark indicated by the World Health Organization. According to Yale University’s 2022, Pakistan was ranked 176 out of 180 countries in terms of air quality.

In order to control smog, the Punjab government imposed a green lockdown in 11 areas of Lahore on October 31, in which a ban on barbecues was proposed, as well as on rickshaws and marriage halls. The measures included a ban on all construction work within 1km radius of the Shimla Pahari, and a ban on commercial generators, rickshaws and barbecues after 8pm and closing of wedding halls after 10pm. The government has announced the imposition of a health emergency in Lahore and Multan divisions, along with a province-wide closure of all educational institutions for another week. The leave of all doctors and paramedical staff has been cancelled.

It has also been decided to impose a complete lockdown in Lahore and Multan on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Construction works, brick kilns, furnace mills and emission producing establishments in these divisions will remain closed. Restaurant will close by 4pm, with takeaway service till 8 pm. The authorities have also announced the start of a “detox campaign” to fight smog. Under the long-term policy the government was making plans for (smoke-emitting) motorcycle-rickshaws and motorcycles. There would be a check on petrol quality at the fuel stations.

Environmentalists believe that this problem may become more serious as the cold weather increases in the coming months. According to environmental experts, the short-term measures adopted by the government to control smog will not work because they are in the nature of knee-jerk reaction and not based on a comprehensive study of the problem. It has taken almost 10 years for the smog problem to reach this point and it may take us 20 years to reverse the situation. Actions taken by the government on an ad hoc basis can only provide temporary relief but comprehensive and innovative methods will have to be devised to find a permanent solution. For example, the government has banned marriage halls, barbecue and kilns but, according to the government’s own statistics, one of the major causes of smog is the use of low-quality petrol and coal as fuel for which nothing is being done. The contribution of crop burning to smog formation is very low in comparison.

While introducing short-term measures for a few weeks or months, all departments should be asked to draw up a 10-year plan to combat smog and pollution in the future. According to experts, the future action plan should include the introduction of stricter emissions standards for industries, enhancement of public transport systems, and increasing green spaces.  Stricter emissions standards will enable industries to play their role in reducing pollution. A massive tree plantation campaign should be launched to increase green cover in the country. At the same time, the public transport system should be strengthened to minimise the use of cars and motorcycles by citizens. Creeping air pollution, if left unchecked, would not only lead to chronic respiratory diseases but also affect agricultural productivity and cause long term damage to the economy.