ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Punjab government Friday announced a 10-year plan to combat smog and air pollution, as toxic smog has blanketed Lahore and 17 other districts in the province since last month.
Addressing a press conference, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that a complete lockdown will be imposed in the provincial capitals Lahore and Multan from Friday to Sunday, due to smog that has led to 1.9 million hospitalisations in the province in the month of October.
“For the first time, Punjab has developed a 10-year climate change policy,” said Aurangzeb. She added that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is personally overseeing the implementation plan.
She said that the government has launched several initiatives to tackle pollution. Among these, she said, is the distribution of “super seeders” to farmers, with the provincial government covering 60% of the cost, while farmers contribute the remaining 40%.
“We aim to distribute 5,000 super seeders across Punjab by July next year,” Aurangzeb said, adding that more companies have been engaged to ramp up production.
The government has also taken action against pollution from brick kilns, and demolished 800 illegal kilns. Aurangzeb explained that sealing the kilns temporarily would not be effective as they would likely resume operations by January, so demolition was pursued instead.
She said that a complete ban has been imposed on burning kilns in Lahore, the home of more 14 million people, to deal with poor air quality.
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Moreover, Punjab authorities have implemented environmental control systems to monitor and reduce industrial emissions. Over 90 small and medium-sized industries have installed these systems, which were financed through loans provided by the provincial government.
To improve the province’s green cover, Aurangzeb stressed the need for afforestation, particularly in Lahore, where the forest cover stands at just 3%—far below the international standard of 36%.
A “Green Master Plan” has been developed for the city, with efforts already underway to increase its tree cover as part of the broader climate change strategy.
Earlier this week, the government of Punjab closed all high schools in the smog hit districts of province until November 17 due to persisting smog.
Earlier this month, primary schools and government offices in several districts were also closed, impacting the education of more than 20 million students, according to local school associations.
In addition, public parks, zoos, museums, historical sites, and playgrounds in 18 districts were closed for 10 days.
Earlier this week, a Lahore court ordered the closure of all markets after 8pm to reduce pollution. Authorities have also implemented measures such as banning open-air barbecuing without filters and requiring wedding halls to close by 10pm.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned earlier this week that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is at serious risk due to the hazardous air quality.
Lahore Remained Hazardous for Straight 12th Day
On Friday, Lahore air quality remained ‘hazardous’ for the 12th consecutive day, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 810, according to IQAir, which tracks real-time data of air quality worldwide.
At the same time, the concentration of PM2.5 pollutants—dangerous, cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs—were recorded at 481 micrograms per cubic meter in Lahore, which is over 96.2 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) daily maximum air quality guideline.
The smog is blamed for thousands of premature deaths each year and is an annual source of misery for the capital’s residents, with various piecemeal government initiatives failing to make a measurable impact on the problem.
Premature Deaths
The UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil earlier on Tuesday had said that more than 11 million children under five years of age are exposed to toxic smog in the worst affected districts in Punjab.
Earlier on Monday, Ahsan Iqbal, while addressing a meeting regarding smog and air pollution in Islamabad on Tuesday last, warned of 250,000 premature deaths in Pakistan.
According to UNICEF, every year, air pollution is estimated to cause the deaths of 130,000 children under the age of 5 in South Asia.
According to the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute report, compiled by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, the poor air has shortened the lives of Lahore residents by 7.5 years.
