PUNJAB Environmental Department has enforced a “green lockdown” across several high-smog areas of Lahore as part of the efforts to combat the environmental challenge thrown by smog. As the issue has a cross-border dimension, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced plans to take it up with her Indian Punjab counterpart in a bid to harmonize policies and actions to tackle the shared threat.
The issue of smog and environmental pollution has assumed menacing dimensions in some parts of Punjab on both sides of the international border and collaborative efforts were needed to address it effectively. The decision to approach the Indian Punjab and impose a ‘green lockdown’ indicates that the authorities concerned realize the gravity of the situation because of health hazards and disruption of the normal life in smog affected areas, especially the provincial capital. Earlier, the Punjab Government announced sporadic measures like closure of schools and encouraging work from home but this is a defensive approach while there is a need to adopt a comprehensive preventive programme to tackle the issue on a sustainable basis. The latest moves have the potential to help check pollution if the issue is discussed threadbare with the Indian side on the basis of credible data, facts and studies and strict regulatory measures are enforced to penalize polluters. We can no longer afford the luxury of inaction as Lahore alongside Delhi and Beijing has become one of the top three polluted cities in the world. The city recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 168 as of the latest report, well within the range classified as “unhealthy”. Global air quality monitoring agency IQAir has corroborated these findings, reporting that Lahore’s atmosphere has become significantly hazardous. As per restrictions imposed under the lockdown in some areas of Lahore, construction activities are now prohibited, commercial generators banned, motorcycle rickshaw operations suspended and open-air barbecue activities after 8 pm stand restricted. These and similar other measures are welcome but the issue is not confined to some areas of Lahore as most parts of the province witness smog and experience environmental pollution due to crop and waste burning, vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, fossil fuel-fired power plants and coal-based brick-kilns. We have environment protection agencies, which should be fully empowered to formulate and enforce standards for various industries and sectors.
