Air Pollution

At least 135,000 people lose their lives every year due to air pollution in Pakistan. According to the report of the Air Quality Index, Pakistan is the second most polluted country in the world in 2019. Pakistan’s air quality index rating is 10.6 which is 6 times higher than the limit set by the World Health Organization. Punjab province is most affected by the air pollution. Lahore is shrouded in polluted air and fog in winter. There are many causes of smog, including smoke from trucks, buses and trains, burning of crop residues, smoke from brick kilns and coal-fired power plants, and smoke from rickshaws and motorcycles with double-stroke engines. Lack of air purifiers in factory chimneys is also contributing to the increase in pollution. Air pollution is having a negative impact on the lives of citizens. At the same time, the life expectancy in Pakistan has been reduced to 40 months for example five years. Air pollution is a major cause of death in developing countries, including Pakistan. The report says that Pakistan lacks a systematic national action plan to eliminate air pollution, even though it is well defined in Pakistan’s air quality laws. However, on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, some steps have been taken to curb air pollution from brick kilns, burning of agricultural waste and industrial emissions. But on the other hand, reliance on old technology for vehicle exhaust emissions and emissions from small, informal industries have not yet been regulated. Experts say that the government of Pakistan has set up a separate ministry in the name of climate change which is nowhere in the world but still these problems are not solved because policy makers and decision makers are less aware of the real problems and implement them. The government’s plan to plant 10 billion trees in the country is only a good part of that planning against Air Pollution.