Lahore’s air is toxic, there are no two opinions on that. Every year, the local administration offers what could best be described as lip service, because little of the steps and measures they promise to take have translated into practice. As a result, the city is forever cursed with smog.

Come November, the air quality index of Lahore peaks to hazardous levels, making it the most polluted city of the world. (The air quality levels are measured based on the concentration of lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5. And Lahore’s air quality has worsened to 97.4 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre.) Looks like the people of Lahore are condemned to breathe this air.

It’s interesting how the authorities keep crying smog the whole year round but can do precious little to stop the unabated and haphazard urbanisation and industrialisation. Add to it the large-scale deforestation being enthusiastically carried out right under the nose of the Environment Protection Department. Among other onlookers are the Lahore Development Authority, the Ravi Urban Development Authority and Defence Housing Authority. The city traffic police, the WASA, the TEPA and other civic agencies of the government are also to be blamed for the situation.

This year, Lahore got smog almost a month earlier. Instead of November, the month in which a drop in temperature combines with air pollutants and cause deep haze which hangs low, causing people to choke, smog started in October.

The authorities seem confused, if one looks at how at first they announced a lockdown/ curfew mandating work-from-home for offices and closure of schools, but later stuck to neither.

Lahore’s struggle with smog continues. In certain areas, it gets even worse. The Mall, for instance, takes the cake as the most polluted part of the city, recording an AQI of 594; Cantt comes a close second, with an AQI of 537; while Gulberg, a prominent commercial hub, typically has an AQI of 500. Numerous other localities, including Baghbanpura, Badami Bagh, Manawan, Ravi Road, Salamatpura, Daroghawala, Nishtar Town, Shahdara and Thokar Niaz Baig, also feature prominently among the most polluted parts of the city.

The authorities seem confused, if one looks at how at first they announced a lockdown/ curfew mandating work-from-home for offices and closure of schools, but later stuck to neither.

According to experts, several airborne particles arising from burning of fossil fuel, dust, soot, factories’ emissions mixed with chemicals and the burning of crop stubble are among the main causes of smog, a mixture of smoke and fog. The failure of the WASA and the CTP to check these emissions is evident from the fact that thousands of motor vehicles continue to leave their carbon footprint, and the authorities can’t even engage water sprinklers on the roads to prevent dust from mixing in the air.

Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim, a prominent businessman, tells TNS, “We have practically ruined our environment by insanely cutting our trees and converting large agricultural lands into housing societies in sheer violation of the Lahore Master Plan.

“Certainly, the concerned government agencies and departments such as LDA and RUDA are responsible for the mess. The sad part is that the common man is to pay the price for these agencies’ misdeeds and lust for money.”

DROP CAP

Zahir Abbas Malik, the EPA director general, agrees that smog is “a complex issue,” which has various sources of pollution, including vehicular emissions, industrial activities, construction projects and the burning of crop stubble. But he insists that the department has “come up with a comprehensive strategy to help the situation.

“A crackdown against stubble burning and smoke-emitting vehicles is already under way as part of a wider, integrated effort to improve the air quality and ensure the well-being of the citizens.”

Malik adds that the Environment Protection Department is making special efforts to ensure sprinkling of water on the sides of major city roads. “Hopefully, the situation will get better in the next couple of days, as airborne particles causing smog will vanish.”

The health hazards of smog cannot be overstated. As Dr Ejaz Warraich says, air pollution is causing respiratory diseases as well as throat infections. Besides, it can lead to coronary heart problems.

The writer is a print and broadcast journalist