RAPID urbanization, with no concrete action plan to protect the environment has made emergence of smog a regular feature for many cities in Punjab, especially Lahore, and other parts of the country including Karachi. This accounts for lethal health hazards such as asthma, eye infection, allergy in the respiratory tract, cardiac pathology which can be fatal. Independent medical experts and analysts are of the opinion that average life expectancy of residents plagued by smog has decreased by almost 4 to 5 years. What is more troublesome, is the reported higher levels of blood pressure related issues, amongst school going children in Lahore. No number of commercial benefits that accrue to those involved in real estate development, can justify the collective negative impact on the health of the majority of citizens living in the affected cities and towns.
It is the primary responsibility of the state to give priority to the collective welfare and health of its citizens, instead of sacrificing them for the benefit of a few who are beneficiaries of this unplanned urbanization. This insatiable greed must be curtailed and dealt with sternly. Even Multan, once famous for its mango orchards, has witnessed them being demolished and replaced with concrete jungles by the powerful real estate mafia of this country, in connivance with powerful quarters. Nowhere else in the world can green pastures and fruit orchards be demolished with such ease, as they are being done in Pakistan. Even our agricultural yield has fallen prey to this lobby, creating food shortage. Thousands, who may have survived the COVID epidemic attack, ended up with partial damage to their lungs. They are amongst the most vulnerable to the toxic impact of smog.
This unplanned rapid urbanization has resulted in congested traffic during peak hours and the smoke emitted by them has only made matters worse. Those recruited by the state such as the Motor Vehicle Inspection Department are responsible for gross criminal negligence and guilty of culpable homicide. Unfortunately, other than mere pep talk, by those at helm, there are no plans in sight to reverse this man-made tragedy. The Caretaker Government cannot be held responsible, but those who held elected office at federal and provincial levels cannot be absolved of their criminal negligence, nor can the statutory departments like Cantonment Boards and DHA that collect taxes and conservation charges, but have failed to deliver
Citizens of Lahore and adjoining cities and towns are inhaling poisonous air, which is having a devastating impact on their lungs, resulting in cardiac related diseases, eye, throat infections etc. This deterioration in the Air Quality Index has become more acute in the past decade. As far as the issue of crops burning in East and West Punjab is concerned, this has been happening for generations and is not a new phenomenon. Before the 80s, the cultivable areas on both sides of the border in Punjab, was far more than what it is now. Farmers have been burning crops for centuries to prepare for new harvest. Smoke emittance took place then also, but never before has the AQI been so hazardous. Can anyone explain why Karachi’s AQI is so poor. It definitely cannot be because of crops burning in our neighbouring country. Karachi also suffers from rapid urbanization which has taken place for quite some time. Land allocated for Malir Development Authority, where thousands of trees existed, was handed over to a Land Mafia tycoon by the provincial government. This matter is before the SCP, as a consequence of the case involving BP190 million confiscated by UK NCA.
There is no doubt that this crop burning is a factor, but not the sole cause for this criminal negligence which impacts millions who live in Lahore etc. The District Administration and the Provincial Government should have adopted preventive measures, which have not been taken. What has driven the AQI into a hazardous zone is that hundreds of thousands of acres, where green pastures and trees existed, as far as the eye could see, have vanished. The beneficiaries of the Real Estate Cartels and their families are not victims of this man-made environmental disaster which they created. They have abandoned this country and prefer living in the US, UK, Canada, UAE etc. It is the people of Pakistan who have chosen to live and die in this country, who are victims of this criminal negligence. Everyone knows that Black-Money is parked in the real estate sector and bulk of this is smuggled out of the country through irregular channels.
If you drive along Lahore Ring Road, in the proximity of DHA and Lahore Cantonment areas, towards the South West of Lahore in the direction of Raiwind, the green pastures and trees have vanished and been replaced with concrete jungles. This insatiable greed of Real Estate cartels has deprived Lahore of the natural Oxygen Generators which nature provided through trees, plants and green pastures. In addition, brick kilns have emerged in these areas. You will witness this ingression of natural phenomenon to the south-west and east of Lahore, and now even towards the northern side, in the proximity of Shahdara, where trees and standing crops were destroyed to make way for Ravi Urban Development real estate project.
Several acres of land where Walton Airport existed for over a century has become a victim of this insatiable greed. Millions of citizens are suffering, with many fatalities related to lungs and heart infections etc. Smoke emitting vehicles, tractors, rickshaws and motorcycles, which should have been impounded by Motor Vehicle Authority continue playing on our congested roads, making the situation even worse. All tax collecting statutory bodies like LDA, KDA, CDA DHA, Cantonment Board etc must confine themselves to their regulatory role, instead of becoming commercial organisations involved in earning maximum revenues and profits.
In conclusion, addressing the smog crisis and unchecked urbanization requires immediate action. Authorities must enforce strict regulations on real estate development, promote green spaces and invest in sustainable urban planning. Public awareness campaigns and stringent measures against polluting vehicles are essential. By prioritizing environmental preservation and citizen wellbeing, we can mitigate the impact of smog and create healthier, sustainable cities for everyone.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
Email: mtrqa213@gmail.com
views expressed are writer’s own.
