Shutting down of schools in Lahore didn’t come as a surprise as it’s a given when the air quality reaches such toxic levels; outdoor activities and exposure to such high level of air pollutants by children is simply not humane. Lahore was a gas chamber a couple of days ago as the toxic smog battered the air quality to record levels once again. In some areas of the city, the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 800 level where a reading of over 300 is termed hazardous.
Distributing free masks in schools, running awareness campaigns, limiting outdoor activities and taxing those who add to the air pollution are some steps that the government must take to reduce the impact on the city dwellers. However, more than being reactive, what is required of the government is being proactive in dealing with smog, now that it’s a seasonal phenomenon every year since 2010-11.
There have been many debates and discussions on what causes smog in Lahore and India. Air pollution in urban cities is usually a mix of different factors like traffic, fossil fuels in power plants, construction and heavy industrial activities etc. But in most circles, crop burning is the first and the most common factor considered to give rise to smog in the two countries. Along with local, Indian farmers’ activities have been blamed for the creating the disaster. In India as well, the large burning of crop stubble is being considered as the top reason for record-breaking pollution that envelopes Delhi every year.
If agricultural burning is the believed to be a key contributor to the toxic air quality, it is only temporary that the air quality has improved in Lahore since yesterday. The paddy crop burning season has only just started, and is expected to continue for at least the next 10-15 days as the farmers clear the fields for sowing. It’s a deadly combo of cooler weather, wind direction and burning fumes.
Interestingly, a much apprehended view for the rise in air pollutants in October through December in both India and Pakistan is the unintentional consequence of a law passed by the Indian Punjab’s government back in in 2009 that asked farmers to delay paddy sowing, which has resulted in ballooning of rice crop burning cases during the winter months. Add that to agricultural burning on Pakistan’s side of Punjab and you end up with a much aggravated air pollution. While the authorities in India refuse that smog is partially a consequence of the law, what cannot be missed is the fact that these conditions started emerging in 2010 that coincides with time when India’s Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009 was passed. China completely banned all agricultural burning to tackle smog.
On the other hand, according to a study conducted by FAO analyzing the causes of smog in Punjab earlier this year, the contribution of the agriculture sector to smog through the practice of crop residue burning is significant but it is only the third sector by air pollutant emissions. It states that major portion of total air pollutant emissions come from the transport sector, which holds 43 percent share, followed by 25 percent from industrial sector and 20 percent from agriculture. To date, there exist no concrete efforts to address vehicular pollution, industrial pollution, burning of municipal, and industrial waste etc. So more than just one factor, it’s a cocktail of factors and unfortunately remains unaddressed.
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