aving braved the worst of fog and smog, like the Punjab plains, for almost two weeks Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital and most populated city, faces the daunting challenge of fighting air pollution.

The city’s plummeting air quality means that it frequently bags a podium position and is one of the most polluted cities in the world. This is especially true during the 2-3 weeks at the turn of the calendar year.

With only Lahore, which topped the list of 20 most polluted cities in the 2022 World Air Quality Report; Chinese city Hotan; Bhiwadi and Delhi in India ahead in the unwanted competition of the world’s most polluted city, Peshawar clinched the fifth position out of 7,323 cities.

PM2.5 concentration is one of the World Health Organisation’s standards for measuring air quality. It measures the concentration of small particulate matter which is 2.5 micrometres or less in a given volume of air. This fine matter can penetrate the lungs and damage major organs when it enters the bloodstream.

Environmental expert Dawar Hameed Butt says that the annual PM2.5 average in Peshawar is at least double the safe limit according to the provincial air quality guidelines and way above the international standard. More worryingly, it increases during the winter months.

“During December and January, the PM2.5 value should not go above 35 micrograms, but in Peshawar, it goes up to 300 micrograms,” says Hameed Butt.

During the last three weeks, the average 24-hour readings of particulate matter remained dangerously above 200 micrograms. “Regrettably, the PM2.5 concentration during the past few weeks in the city was at least 10 times the safe threshold, making Peshawar one of the top three most polluted cities in the world,” he says.

A study report Status of Air Pollution in Peshawar by the Peshawar Clean Air Alliance, a volunteer organisation working to improve the city’s air quality, has highlighted several sources of emissions with formal and informal industrial and vehicular fumes, brick kilns and municipal waste incineration being the top polluters.

The PCAA was formed in 2021 by civil society representatives including academics, policymakers, media representatives and public health and environment experts from Peshawar with a vision “…to see the mountains of Peshawar valley once again.” We want to press the provincial government to make decisions on implementing policy for clean air.

Dr Adil Zareef, the PCAA convener, tells The News on Sunday that unregulated vehicles are one of the top polluters in Peshawar, contributing more than 70 per cent of the air pollution.

“The report is an eye-opener with regards to the transport sector being the top contributor to air pollution. It deserves an immediate action plan. Old buses, most of them belonging to wealthy owners of schools and colleges, are contributing the most to air pollution,” says Dr Zareef.

It merits mentioning that thousands of vehicles, including more than 75 per cent of the 100,000 or more auto rickshaws, are roaming the strreets of Peshawar unregulated. Many of thm emit extremely toxic fumes.

Dust is another key factor. Dust from the western dry mountains along with the construction dust piles up on the roads and in the streets. Some of it remains suspended in the air, increasing the risk of inhalation of harmful particulate matter.

Wood burning in different forms is another major cause of air pollution. Reduced natural gas supplies in the winter and higher gas prices are forcing many people to use firewood. This not only results in the depletion of the forests but also contributes to air pollution. Deforestation is a serious threat in all districts of the province, including Peshawar.

According to United Nations and World Health Organisation reports, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are the world‘s most polluted countries with the worst air quality.

According to Dr Zareef, previous research by the WHO had found that life expectancy in th region has dropped by 2-3 years because of diseases and morbidity. “These are preventable deaths. That is why the UN has had a declaration on clean environment and clean air as a human right.”

He adds that other research has also found an alarming increase in deaths globally due to unhealthy environments. “Various research conducted in the past 10-15 years has showed that six million deaths were caused by air pollution annually. Later, the number increased to seven million; it is now around nine million deaths per annum globally,” he says.

“Pakistan is topping the worst AQI list. Peshawar is particularly vulnerable and has been competing with Lahore for the past three weeks. Airborne particulate matter is a huge health risk. It penetrates the entire body, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and respiratory cancer. Children and elderly are more at risk as well as immune-compromised people,” he says.

Dr Zareef says that there is no long-term policy in Pakistan for environmental protection. Apart from the passage of a National Clean Air Act, little has been done by the governments. “The provincial Environmental Protection Agency has legislated the required rules but enforcement is weak. There is no political will. There is no engagement with the civil society and academics,” he says.

“That is why we have installed more than 15 air quality monitors I pursuit of evidence-based outcomes. All Peshawar-based monitors are showing that our concerns were not baseless. We must have zero tolerance for pollution,” says Zareef.

Dawar Hameed Butt agrees with him. He says it is important to have hundreds of air quality monitoring stations in a city to get accurate measurements of air quality. Unfortunately, the government has installed no monitors in Peshawar so far. “The ones operating in Peshawar are low-cost privately-funded monitors,” he says.

Although he sees no immediate solution, Dawar Hameed Butt is optimistic that in the long run, air quality in Peshawar will improve as awareness of the problem and its consequenes increases.

“There is hope. We have seen more awareness among people in 2023 compared to 2022. Media has also begun to report on air pollution,” says Butt.

According to Adil Zareef though, the lack of commitment by authorities, particularly under the caretaker government, has made the Environment Protection Department ineffective.

“The previous provincial government had a level of engagement with the concerned sectors. However, that engagement for the protection of the environment has vanished… Deforestation is increasing and there is apparently no concern about the air pollution in Peshawar and the province,” he says.

He says deterrent penalties are important to discourage polluters. “The international norm is that the polluter should pay the penalty. The polluters must be held accountable and penalised. Industrialists, transporters and others threatening our right to clean air should be penalised,” he says.

The writer is a Peshawar based freelance journalist. He has worked for Voice of America and The ICRC. Connect with him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ayusufzai.