Air pollution: Pakistan needs policy change, says US expert

By Asif Mehmood Butt
December 12, 2023


LAHORE: Noted air quality scientist Dr. Mike Bergin, who works for clean air and air around the world with the support of the US State Department, has said that Pakistan can improve its air quality if its works on an emergency basis like the Chinese city of Beijing for pollution-free air and air. However, Pakistan needs 10 to 15 years to achieve the goals, he added.

He expressed these views while talking to “Jang.” Mike Bergin, who came to Pakistan on the special instructions of the US government after the Pak-America Green Alliance, said that he was confident that there were certainly low-cost solutions for clean air for the middle class of Pakistan, while he hopes that the poor will also be helped in this regard. 

Commuters make their way along a street amid smoggy conditions early in the morning in Lahore, Pakistan on Dec. 17, 2021. — AFP
Commuters make their way along a street amid smoggy conditions early in the morning in Lahore, Pakistan on Dec. 17, 2021. — AFP 

“Air pollution in Pakistan is very complex as compared to the states of Central Asia,” he added.

With the support of the US State Department, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has started working on low-cost projects to achieve clean air. The project will play a leading role in creating air filters at the local level to improve air quality.

He said that construction in Pakistan had a major role, though not all. The American air quality scientist said that installing an air purifier powered by solar energy would be a great idea. He said that the solution to cleaning the atmosphere and air at the global level also existed with environmental protection departments and universities around the world. “The biggest contributor to air pollution in Pakistan is industrial and vehicle emissions, waste and crop residue burning,” he added.

He added, “It would be a great idea to talk to India about air pollution in Pakistan due to crop residue burning. Pakistan has to change its energy policy to make its atmosphere and air cleaner. In Beijing, the capital of China, people have installed air purifiers for clean air in their homes. Chinese companies have installed sensors in these air filters that start working when the indoor air quality deteriorates.”