LAHORE: Choking air, damaged lungs, and a rising death toll — Pakistan’s air pollution crisis has reached catastrophic levels, experts warned at the “Breathe Pakistan” conference held at Lahore’s Expo Centre. They revealed that nearly 40 percent of Pakistani children suffer reduced lung function, while over 128,000 premature deaths occur every year due to polluted air.
The high-level gathering, organised by DawnMedia in collaboration with the United Nations and the Government of Punjab, brought together federal ministers, scientists, judges, and global experts to demand urgent action. The event aimed to turn data into decisions — transforming awareness into enforceable climate policies before another generation breathes in poison.
“This Is Not Just Smog, It’s Death” — Musadik Malik
Addressing the conference via video link, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik called air pollution a “man-made phenomenon” and one of Pakistan’s greatest public health emergencies.
He warned that around 40 per cent of children’s lung function is impaired due to polluted air, adding, “This is not just smog — look at it through the lens of death, and also through the lens of love.”
Malik lamented that the average resident of Lahore loses five to eight years of life expectancy due to smog-related illnesses, contributing to an estimated 128,000 premature deaths annually nationwide.
“Pollution and environmental hazards stand in the way of our success,” he said, urging policymakers to prioritize human life in all climate decisions.
Punjab’s Multi-Sector Climate Response
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb outlined a comprehensive provincial action plan, citing the launch of smog mitigation frameworks, AI-based air quality forecasting, and a buyback policy for old vehicles.
She announced that from October 30, all Punjab schools will be required to maintain five recycling bins, embedding waste segregation into the curriculum.
Aurangzeb said 1,100 electric buses had been procured, smog guns deployed in Lahore, and mobile fuel testing labs established. Over 11,000 brick kilns without zigzag technology were sealed, while 5,000 superseeders were distributed under an 80 per cent government subsidy.
Reflecting on her visits abroad, she said Punjab was turning to China for waste-to-energy technology after Japan’s model proved unsuitable for local conditions.
She also cited transboundary pollution from across the Indian border as a major seasonal factor worsening Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI). “We may now take this matter forward with the UN or World Bank,” she said.
Pakistan in a ‘Geographical Trap’
Silwat Saeed, Secretary of Punjab’s Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, warned that Pakistan sits in a “geographical trap.”
“The northern foothills of the Himalayas act as a lid, trapping pollutants across the region — from Pakistan to India, Bangladesh, and Nepal,” she explained.
She said Punjab’s development programme had been “climate-tagged” for the first time, ensuring every new project is evaluated through an environmental lens.
UN Resident Coordinator Mohamed Yahya described air pollution as a “silent pandemic,” saying it causes seven million deaths globally each year and accounts for a $6 trillion loss in productivity — about five per cent of global GDP.
He praised DawnMedia’s efforts, adding, “There’s no better and more heartbreaking place to discuss this issue than Lahore. The smog here is visible from space — a glaring testament to what needs to be done.”
China’s Example and Pakistan’s Next Steps
Minister Malik noted that a decade ago, Beijing and Shanghai faced severe smog but transformed themselves into global leaders in solar technology, now producing up to 75 per cent of the world’s solar panels.
“Pakistan must follow that example,” he said, adding that policies are being prepared to modernise outdated oil refineries and improve fuel standards to global levels.
