Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has surged to “unhealthy” levels, according to Punjab’s environmental monitoring system, turning the basic act of breathing into a health risk. Children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions now face heightened danger every time they step outdoors. As is with every natural calamity, the lower-income families are hit the hardest. They are riddled with an inability to afford air purifiers, private healthcare or the option of staying safely indoors owing to the nature of their jobs. Their children miss school, workers carry on in polluted streets and households already stretched by hardship must now endure the added weight of toxic air.
Government authorities have now announced operations, issued advisories and deployed inspection teams for vehicles that are unfit. Yet, they fail to enforce consistent regulation or pursue long-term solutions. With a rapidly changing climate, the realities of our environment have been brutally clear for quite some time now. Despite this awareness, industries continue to release unchecked emissions, authorities fail to introduce reliable public transport and agricultural burning persists without consequences. The result is a city where smog returns each year with greater intensity and citizens are left to rely on warning systems rather than preventative measures.
For now, anti-smog squads have been announced and crop burning has been restricted. Furthermore, the government has announced fines on polluting vehicles and industries alongside introducing measures to promote tree plantation. While these steps signal an acknowledgement of the problem and a willingness to act, the benefits will only be reaped when these initiatives are brought to fruition. If clean remains available only to those who can afford protection, the state fails in its most basic duty. Authority figures must act decisively and must do so now. Every delay ensures that smog will not only cloud Lahore’s skies but also its future.
