Navigating Unseen Dangers and Solutions in Lahore’s Air Pollution Crisis

On December 5, people woke up to experience another thick smog in the air. It was very usual for them. Eye protection, skincare, and hydration were required, but they also had to do daily tasks and duties. However, it was becoming so intense that, after some time passed, they couldn’t drive their cars or bicycles. At last, the government was forced to shut down transport and daily duties too. They closed their doors and windows to be safe from dirty outdoor air and stayed at home, waiting for the weather to be better. A couple of days passed, and now they were feeling trouble and anxiety. Smog was creeping into their homes too. Their kids and elders were suffocating. People with asthma and other weak respiratory systems were in severe pain and distress, but even the ambulance service was down due to invisibility outside. Driving their car to hospitals was also a blind trip. The weather was very still, air was not circulating, and days were not passing in this situation. However, we know that weather is not permanent; it gets better very much after some days, but it was not only the story of smog; it was the story of death. Yes, thousands of people died in five days of horrible smog.

This happened in London and dates back to 1952. 100,000 people became respiratory patients after this event. The city has been plagued by smog since the 13th century, but it was only after this terrible event that they decided to pass the Cleaner Air Act of 1956. It is said that power plants were loading tons of fluorine, sulfur dioxide, and HCI gas into the air daily, which produced such a big incident that out of the two types of smog, one is named “London Smog.” Ironically, the second one is named for Los Angeles. The American city, too, has done a lot, like promoting electric transport and making renewable materials, to welcome back cleaner air into its atmosphere. Similar to these two cities, many others suffered a lot from the Industrial Revolution and figured out the steps they needed to take to avoid poisonous breathing and death. Whoever is suffering now has just to customize and follow those steps and patterns; otherwise, what the first paragraph tells us is horrible.

Here we come to Lahore, where a heartbreaking change has come as

“Whoever has never seen Lahore is not born” is updated to “Whoever has even seen Lahore might die earlier.”

Every single region that tried to cut its air pollution cut its fuel-burning vehicles on the road. Lahore is also doing this, but it is majorly cutting the vehicles that are bread-earning sources, and there is no alternative in this unemployment bloom. So this step might not be durable, as all other cities have either stopped transport on weekends or promoted electric vehicles. The second important thing is what Beijing has done recently: shift industries out of the city. There is also another problem for us in the form of Lahore expansion. In the translated words of Patras Bukhari, a wonderful writer and ex-principal of Government College University Lahore,

“Lahore also exists outside Lahore and keeps existing further.”

For example, the Quaid e Azam Industrial Area was significantly outside Lahore some time ago, but now it is like the heart of the city. It is evident that the cause of the Great Smog of London was the use of bad-quality coal, diesel buses, and five power plants in the city, but the process of healing from air pollution was not to shut down these things; instead, they also made pedestrian-friendly tracks and environments and cheap, rentable cycles. Contrary to this, we are making roads signal-free and three-story roads (with underpasses and flyovers) to accommodate as many vehicles on the road as possible.

Here, we need to figure out something more than asthma, cough, rashes, and death. According to the 2017 census, 23.47% of the Lahore population is under 10 years of age. It means that in the next 10 to 15 years (counting from 2017 to 2027 to 2032), these under tens will grow up to teens, young adults, and adults, making up a workforce of society: graduates, educationists, doctors, engineers, technologists, drivers, chefs, and entrepreneurs. So will they be with low life expectancy; or with chronic infections (of lungs, blood, eyes, and skin mainly); or with mutated genes; or with depressed minds. This is a picture other than the story of the opening paragraph.

The last lines in this very short article are to discuss what you can do if you are not a policymaker, a climate change activist, a car owner, or a factory owner. If you are a simple educated professional or a student who cares to throw wrappers in dustbins, use public transport, and already reduce and reuse things at home, you need a clap. However, as this is an extraordinary situation and we are going towards worse, we prefer to walk as much as your stamina and time permits during your duty travel. Just like we choose rickshaws on a fare basis, we prefer to choose them based on their smoke quantity and quality, only as much as your budget permits. Most importantly, if you are more intelligent and smart, figure out more ways you can play an indirect role in fighting the poison going into our precious lungs. You can share those smart ideas in the comments too.