Pakistani cities are getting the dubious distinction of having the dirtiest air in the world. Lahore, of course, is most affected by the problem but Faisalabad is toxic, as is Peshawar, and also green Islamabad. Yes, Karachi’s breeze takes out the pollutants in the air but there are days when even the breeze isn’t enough to clear out the sheer toxic nature of the air.
Our cities are becoming unlivable, that much is for sure. And from the look of it, the various governments don’t seem to have this problem too high on the list of priorities. A stark contrast from next door in info
Delhi, India. The UCT Chief Minister’s talking points, and criticism of the same, revolve a lot around clean air and lack thereof. The opposition, which is the BJP in the UCT, is also told that this isn’t an issue that can be wrestled by any one individual government. In fact, there are voices in the political dispensation and the media that have realised that perhaps this isn’t something that even one national government can handle. International coordination is the need of the hour, especially between India and Pakistan. The peculiar wind corridor in the greater Punjab area ensures that even the best, most meticulously executed efforts will be for nought if neighboring countries have no plan to deal with the menace.
And there is no one simple solution that can resolve this. No bitter pill that will at least mitigate the problem. The solution involves cutting down on car fumes, industrial air pollution, clamping down on stubble burning during a particular season by rice and sugarcane farmers, and also other related steps.
In the meantime, the government can only hope to mitigate the crisis by, say, cutting down on the number of vehicles plying the roads through either number plate-based on and off days or shutting the markets earlier COVID-SOP-style. Though these would still not be enough, just the signaling of government intentions would be good enough to allay the fears of a hapless citizenry. For now.
