Pakistan: Lahore becomes the world’s most polluted city

Pakistan: According to Dawn, Lahore, which was once hailed as the “City of Gardens,” is now notoriously the most polluted city on earth.

Certain regions, including DHA Phase-5 and the area around the US Consulate, saw disastrous AQI readings of 459 and 433, respectively, on Tuesday.

The dangerous air is still choking locals and flooding hospitals with respiratory disease cases, even after the government has promised to take action.

Dawn claims that the ineffectiveness of Pakistan’s environmental regulations has been made clear by the smog issue, which is being caused by uncontrolled industrial emissions, automobile pollution, and the burning of agricultural leftovers.

The Punjab government has taken steps to address the crisis’s structural roots, such as shutting three industrial plants and six brick kilns and revoking route licenses for defective vehicles. However, these actions don’t seem to be enough.

The city’s inhabitants will have to contend with poisonous air due to stagnant weather because the meteorological department has ruled out the possibility of quick showers. According to Dawn, the department recorded wind speeds as low as 6 km/h and humidity levels as high as 81%, which made the haze much worse.

Although Punjab officials have started road sprinkling efforts and placed limitations on heavy trucks, others contend that these are haphazard fixes for a massive issue. Dawn brought attention to the government’s examination of more than 1,000 cars, which resulted in the impoundment of 144 automobiles with defective engines. However, the greater problem of unregulated pollution sources and insufficient enforcement of environmental regulations is seldom addressed by such solutions.

Senior Minister Marrium Aurangzeb’s claim that it would take “eight to ten years” to eradicate pollution has come under fire for lacking urgency. Although vital, her appeal for public collaboration deflects attention from the administration’s failure to provide prompt and practical remedies.

Pakistan’s disregard for the pollution problem in Lahore is indicative of a larger trend of carelessness and bad leadership. Dawn cautions that if quick, scientifically supported actions are not taken in the face of one of the city’s biggest environmental catastrophes, Lahore might become a permanent victim of administrative ineptitude and policy inertia.