Bad air

A RECENT report by the Air Quality Life Index delivers a sobering message for South Asia on its air pollution outlook.
Though the report highlights an 18pc decline in air pollution in 2022, attributed largely to above-normal rainfall, it also underscores the grim reality that air pollution remains the most significant external threat to public health in the region — including Pakistan. It highlights that South Asia continues to grapple with dangerously high levels of air pollution and that, despite the recent decline, the region still accounts for a staggering 45pc of total life years lost due to pollution.
It paints a worrying picture: if the World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines were met, the average person in South Asia would gain 3.5 years in life expectancy.

In Pakistan, the situation is equally alarming. While the report notes a 10pc decline in particulate matter levels in 2022, the average resident’s life expectancy is still reduced by 3.3 years due to air pollution. In cities like Peshawar and Lahore, where pollution levels are even higher, life expectancy is shortened by over five years.
One of the most striking aspects of the AQLI report is its focus on inequality. It reveals that people living in the most polluted areas breathe air that is six times more polluted than those in the least polluted areas. Consequently, their life expectancy is reduced by an average of 2.7 years. This inequality in pollution exposure reflects broader socioeconomic disparities and underscores the need for targeted interventions in the most affected regions.
This report should ring alarm bells for our leaders, but instead this subject is largely met with indifference. The increase in the number of vehicles and the reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation have been major contributors to the country’s pollution crisis. Since the early 2000s, the number of vehicles has quadrupled, while electricity generation from fossil fuels in Pakistan and neighbouring countries has tripled from 1998 to 2017. Without significant policy changes, the demand for energy and the corresponding pollution levels are likely to rise further, exacerbating the public health crisis. In the past, citizens’ attempts to report high pollution with independent monitors have been met with criticism and denial.

The government must take stock of this report and make long-term policy decisions to protect the future of its citizens. In the landmark Shehla Zia case, the Supreme Court declared the right to a healthy environment to be part of the fundamental constitutional rights of all citizens.
While the state has taken initiatives like installing more pollution monitors and shutting down factories during high-pollution periods, they need to be part of a broader, more comprehensive strategy that includes promoting electric vehicles, transitioning to cleaner technologies in industries and enforcing stricter emissions standards.
Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024