Lahore smog crisis: Report identifies key contributing factors

LAHORE: A recent report from the Green Master Plan has shed light on the alarming rise of Lahore smog, highlighting six main causes contributing to the increase in smog and air pollution in the city, ARY News reported.

According to the report, the city’s rapid development has transformed Lahore into a concrete jungle, exacerbating the Lahore smog issue. Reduced green spaces have led to a rise in temperatures, turning the city into a ‘heat island.’

The report reveals that 33 square kilometers (km) of industrial zones are situated near residential areas, significantly contributing to Lahore’s smog problem. It warns that if dispersed industries are not relocated to designated industrial areas within the next decade, irreversible damage may occur.

The report also suggests that rising temperatures have worsened urban air quality during winter. The increase in vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, and the continuous loss of green cover are major contributors to the rising temperatures. Additionally, landfill sites near the city are causing a spike in methane levels.

The report emphasises the urgent need to construct scientific landfill sites away from populated areas to mitigate Lahore’s smog problems.

Lahore has become the most polluted city in Pakistan due to worsening smog conditions, with Multan and Peshawar ranking second and third, respectively.

The Director General of Environment has issued a notification directing all shopping malls and commercial plazas to install air purifiers as a preventive measure. Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has called for the imposition of an emergency to thwart the Lahore smog crisis.

The Punjab Governor has demanded enforcement of an emergency in the province owing to the worsening situation of smog.

He said that the air pollution has been out of control in most districts of the province. “Large number of people are suffering from disease and being admitted at hospitals,” he said.

Sardar Saleem Haider stated that the shutdown of schools, colleges and amusement parks could not give positive results. “Traders are opposing closure of markets by 8:00 PM”.

He said pollution is surging in Lahore and most of the districts of Punjab. He advised the declaration of a temporary emergency for the prevention of smog.

“The institutions have to come on the same page to control the smog,” the governor added.