or many years now, Lahore has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons — smog being one of them.

The choking haze, which begins to take hold in October, not only discolours the city’s greenery (or whatever is left of it) but more importantly poses risks to the health of its inhabitants, including the birds and animals. Smog has become more than a serious issue; it has assumed the proportions of a crisis. Post budget allocations, the government officials have a few months left to take corrective measures before the ‘smog season’ sets in.

Last year, the government had launched an anti-smog campaign wherein it sought to implement several key initiatives, such as establishment of a smog cell and smog control room (dedicated units to monitor and manage smog-related activities); deployment of pre-smog squads (teams tasked to identify and mitigate potential sources of air pollution) and special anti-smog squads in eight major smog-prone districts, with 12 squads in Lahore for round-the-clock surveillance; development of eco-watch app (for inspections and fines); daily AQI monitoring; notification of anti-smog committees (formed in all districts of the Punjab to coordinate efforts); installation of emission control systems (implemented in 80 percent of air-polluting units); daily satellite surveillance of stubble-burning; introducing environmental financing (supported industries in adopting cleaner and production practices) and artificial rain (precipitated in Lahore in collaboration with experts from Dubai).

Environment Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar says the government’s core policy is to learn from past mistakes and devise new measures to reduce the number of days of the toxic smog season. “Smog has presented us with a huge challenge,” he tells TNS. “In the past, a strategic mistake was committed when only the Environment Protection Department was dealing with it.

“This time around, our senior minister, Maryam Aurangzeb, has engaged 7-8 departments, including transport, industry, agriculture, and energy, for a coordinated fight against air pollution. Let me tell you, these sectors contribute to carbon emissions or can control them.”

According to the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, Lahore has been greatly impacted by smog, with vehicular emissions accounting for 83.15 percent of the city’s air pollution. Other significant contributors include industries (9.07 percent), waste burning (3.6 percent) and agriculture (3.9 percent). Trans-boundary pollution from India, especially during the paddy harvest season, exacerbates the problem, contributing up to 30-40 percent of the smog in Lahore.

The broader picture (of the province) is equally alarming. According to a source apportionment study, the prime contributors to smog in the province include vehicular pollution (44 percent), industrial emissions (25 percent), agricultural activities such as crop residue burning (20 percent) and power generation (12 percent).

The air quality index comparisons for the years 2021-23 highlight the severity of the situation. These levels often exceeded 400, which is considered too hazardous.

The impact on health is very serious, with 235,000 premature deaths so far attributed to air pollution in Pakistan, leading to an annual GDP decline of 18-20 percent.

The environment secretary says the government is working on multiple fronts to check pollution: “sBringing electric bikes and electric buses into the system is part of the plan. That’s a job for the Transport Department. The Agriculture Department has introduced free seeders so that farmers can recycle their stubble instead of burning it. The Energy Department, in tandem with the local government, has been similarly engaged.”

According to him, the government is focusing on industrial emissions, vehicular emissions and fugitive dust emissions. “There are several initiatives by the EPD,” he adds. “Under the law, we are empowered to impose fines, register FIRs and seal buildings; even stop vehicles that emit smoke. The bottom line is that, for the first time, we are addressing this issue through a strategic partnership with seven departments.”

Lahore, having a population of 15 million, is home to 5,000 industrial units. There are at least 1.5 million vehicles plying on its roads. 82 percent of these vehicles are motorcycles.

“Motorcycles are the biggest source of smoke emissions,” says Anwar. “The department has set up mobile as well as stationary labs to monitor the smoke in the atmosphere.

“In Lahore, we have 4-5 units that provide us with open data. We release the AQI every day. Alhamdulillah, when we compare the current AQI with that of the corresponding months of last year, we seem to be doing very well.”

Anwar rejects the notion that Lahore’s air quality is an issue throughout the year. “Lahore currently suffers from around 100 hazardous days per year,” he says.

“We’ve developed a three-year plan, with the aim to install filters in factories and industries that should control smoke emissions. Besides, we have shifted 1,900 brick kilns to zigzag technology and are planting more trees.”

As for the farmers having to resort to crop stubble burning, “We’re going to form committees at the union council level to educate farmers about the harm it does. We prefer education over enforcement. We understand that most of our farmers are poor and apprehending them is not the solution.”

Lahore’s location is also disadvantageous. It suffers from stubble burning taking place in India. Anwar says, “Every year, we approach India through our Foreign Office to sensitise them about the issue, but we do not get a satisfactory response. New Delhi is often ranked as one of the most polluted cities itself. Being neighbours, we suffer, too.”

Public cooperation remains a big challenge on the home front too. This is not a solo fight for the government, he insists. “Public engagement is crucial. We’ve formed a corps of volunteers, and have been visiting schools to educate the students. Unfortunately, many people do not see environment as their own issue. They continue to use cars and motorcycles without regard for the environment. This is unfortunate. As a government, we are committed to making a difference. We organise awareness walks, give interviews and engage the media to raise public awareness.”

Ahsan Malik is a media veteran interested in politics, consumer rights and entrepreneurship