Pakistan Air Quality Experts Group (PAQx) has issued a collective statement on the Punjab government’s “Smog Mitigation Plan”, criticising the measures taken by the provincial government as “lacking to deal with the scale of the challenge”.
The provincial government has been on toes with Lahore continuing to rank as the most polluted city in the world. The government has so far changed school timings. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has pledged to initiate smog diplomacy with India, and most recently, a green lockdown has been imposed in the provincial capital.
Amid all this, the statement by PAQx, which includes all leading air quality experts, researchers, doctors and scientists, is of paramount importance as journalist Benazir Shah, while sharing the statement, also pointed out that “the newly formed government committee on air quality lacks representation from public health experts”.
“Most of Punjab and even Peshawar experience high pollution levels, yet the Punjab Mitigation Plan focuses only on Lahore,” she said while quoting the group’s statement that came from Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi chapters of the organisation.
“Punjab continues to suffer from extremely high pollution, as with previous year, which is deeply impacting the health of the residents of the region,” the statement added.
Group member Ahmed Rafay Alam, who is an environmental lawyer, stated that the “plan is largely a reproduction of the ‘short/immediate’ actions in the Punjab Clean Air plan (2023)”.
Another expert, Dr Imran Khalid, highlighted a discrepancy in the plan. “While it mentions Punjab on the cover, its contents are titled as ‘Smog Mitigation Plan for Lahore’.”
The statement further said that the mitigation plan cites a much-criticised emission inventory, focusing on carbon monoxide as a major pollutant rather than PM 2.5 emissions, which is “misleading.”
Respiratory health expert Dr Saima Saeed emphasised that the plan lacked guidelines for “the vulnerable groups whose health is more at risk” as Punjab reported over 400 deaths due to pneumonia last year.
Additionally, the group highlighted that environmental and climate policymaking could be implemented by ensuring participation from all sectors and ensuring transparency.
“With the new article 9A of the constitution in place, it is doubly important to consider the impact on people’s health and ensure that citizens are provided the opportunity to review policies that will impact their health,” it declared.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has imposed a “green lockdown” in Lahore, under which restrictions will be imposed on identified smog hotspots.
Key areas affected by the lockdown include Davis Road, Egerton Road, Durand Road, and Kashmir Road. Additionally, Shimla Pahari to Gulshan Cinema, Abbott Road, and Empress Road have also been declared as high-pollution zones.
Queen Mary Road and its surrounding areas are similarly marked as affected zones.
