Lahore’s Air Quality Hits Crisis Levels as Smog Season Tests Pollution Controls

LAHORE: A sharp rise in vehicle traffic, industrial emissions and crop‑stubble burning has once again plunged Pakistan’s second‑largest city into a smog crisis, exposing millions of residents to hazardous air despite government efforts.

Lahore topped IQAir’s ranking of the world’s most polluted major cities for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, recording an air‑quality index (AQI) of 263, classified as “very unhealthy.” The previous day the city’s AQI had exceeded 600, labeled “hazardous.”

The city, home to over 13 million people, has seen air‑pollution levels deteriorate over the past decade, with transport and industrial activity identified as the principal sources of harmful particulate matter. The problem intensifies each winter.

Professor Dr. Abdul Qadir, an environmental‑sciences and climate‑change specialist at the University of the Punjab, said, “The root cause of Lahore’s smog is fossil‑fuel combustion. We are burning coal, diesel and petrol.” He noted that the smog menace has grown steadily since 2015, reaching its peak in 2024.

Dr. Qadir acknowledged that the government has introduced several emission‑control measures, such as vehicle‑testing programmes and restrictions on crop‑residue burning, but stressed that enforcement needs strengthening. He called for investment in clean‑energy public transport to cut the number of polluting vehicles on the road.

“A long‑term, clean‑energy‑based mass‑transit system would be the most sustainable solution to mitigate Lahore’s smog,” he said. Agricultural waste burning was highlighted as another major contributor, releasing smoke and fine particles into the atmosphere.

Despite the provision of machinery that converts crop residue into fertilizer and mixes it with soil to discourage stubble‑burning, Dr. Qadir reported observing frequent burning along the Sialkot‑Lahore motorway. “We must completely ban solid‑waste and stubble burning. Without public cooperation and behavioural change, this problem cannot be controlled,” he added.

‘Invisible Killer’

Health impacts are becoming increasingly evident in hospitals, where physicians report a surge in respiratory illnesses. Dr. Mohammad Irfan Malik, a professor of pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Lahore, told Arab News his clinic had recorded a significant rise in outpatient visits and indoor admissions, including intensive‑care cases.

“Smog has definitely aggravated symptoms,” said Dr. Malik, noting that respiratory conditions, once largely seasonal, are now a year‑round concern in Lahore and other major Pakistani cities. “Unfortunately, this has become a persistent specialty. We see patient numbers increasing over the past four or five years, and the environment strongly affects our lungs.”

According to Dr. Malik, Lahore and other major cities have experienced poor air quality for roughly 260 days a year in recent years, making pollution a continuous public‑health threat rather than a winter‑only issue. “Smog is an invisible killer throughout the year in our major cities,” he observed.

He identified PM2.5 particles—less than 2.5 microns in diameter—as among the most dangerous pollutants because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Dr. Malik advised vulnerable groups—children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions—to limit outdoor exposure when air quality deteriorates, wear protective masks and glasses, stay hydrated and check AQI readings before going outside.

Government Measures

Pakistan this week attributed poor air quality partly to pollution drifting from neighboring India, where firecrackers used during the Diwali festival blanketed the north in toxic smog. Abdullah Nayyar, director‑general of Punjab’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the province had dramatically expanded its pollution‑monitoring capacity over the past two years, increasing air‑quality monitoring stations from just two to around 81.

“Punjab used to top yearly rankings just two years ago. It then fell to fifth and later to eighth last year,” Nayyar noted. He added that October had been the cleanest month in five years and that enforcement against agricultural waste burning had improved.

“We have recorded the lowest stubble‑burning cases in nine years this season so far,” he said, citing more than 320 verified and acted‑upon cases—a 35 % decline compared with the same period the previous year. Over 8,000 brick kilns across Punjab have been converted to zigzag technology, which emits fewer pollutants. Industrial emissions compliance now stands at roughly 90 %, according to Nayyar.

Vehicle emissions have been another focus. The EPA tested about 2.5 million vehicles last year, while the Lahore transport department has tested more than 150,000 vehicles so far this year. The government is expanding clean transport, having already provided around 2,000 electric buses across the province and aiming to increase that number to 5,000 by next year. A plan to distribute approximately 100,000 electric bikes is also underway.

Solution

Environmental experts agree that tackling smog will require more than seasonal crackdowns, greater public participation and stronger regional cooperation. “No government can control or minimise pollution on its own. Strong public participation and stringent laws will be helpful for sustainable management of smog,” Dr. Qadir said. “We cannot completely blame any single country. There must be transboundary coordination among South Asian nations. We need to develop environmental and smog diplomacy to control this problem.”

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