SUMMARY of the Article “South Asia’s Smog” by Jamil Ahmad, Dawn [Published on December 20th, 2023]
Air pollution has emerged as a severe environmental threat, significantly affecting well-being and posing health risks, particularly in South Asia, which houses a quarter of the global population and exhibits the world’s worst urban air pollution. The region experiences dangerously elevated air pollution levels, surpassing WHO guidelines and exposing inhabitants to unhealthy air throughout the year, leading to a reduction in life expectancy. Winter exacerbates the problem, trapping a toxic mix of smoke and dust in layers of smog due to cold and heavy air. Cities like Lahore, Peshawar, Gujranwala, New Delhi, and Kolkata rank among the most polluted globally. The impact is particularly calamitous for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory and cardiac conditions. In Pakistan, life expectancy has decreased by four years due to air pollution, with residents in highly affected urban areas expected to lose up to five years of their lives. Major sources of pollution include toxic emissions from industry, transport, waste burning, and seasonal crop residue burning. While short-term measures like issuing health advisories and closing institutions have been taken, the long-term solution requires addressing the root causes, including regulatory gaps, unsustainable urbanization, and insufficient green cover. Urgent and bold measures are needed, including strengthening law enforcement, regulating land use management, expanding electric transport networks, imposing congestion tolls on polluting vehicles, and creating pedestrian zones. Implementing Pakistan’s National Clean Air Policy in conjunction with climate change policies through a cross-sectoral approach is crucial, with community engagement and local monitoring playing vital roles.
Easy/Short SUMMARY:
South Asia faces a severe air pollution crisis, particularly during winter, trapping a toxic mix of smoke and dust in thick layers of smog. Cities like Lahore and Peshawar have some of the world’s worst air quality, significantly reducing life expectancy, especially for vulnerable groups. Major pollution sources include industry, transport, waste burning, and crop residue burning. Short-term measures like closing institutions are insufficient, requiring urgent and bold actions. Solutions include strengthening law enforcement, regulating urbanization, expanding electric transport, imposing congestion tolls, and creating pedestrian zones. Implementation of Pakistan’s National Clean Air Policy, community engagement, and local monitoring are vital for a lasting solution.
SOLUTIONS of The Problem:
1. Strengthening Law Enforcement:
- Enhance the implementation arm of law enforcement agencies to penalize polluters promptly.
2. Regulating Crop Residue Burning:
- Provide farmers with alternative systems for environmentally friendly crop residue disposal, rendering a ban on burning more effective.
3. Land Use Management Regulations:
- Regulate urban sprawl, ensuring sustainable and regulated expansion to preserve green cover and natural air filters.
4. Cross-Sectoral Approach to Policies:
- Implement Pakistan’s National Clean Air Policy in synergy with climate change policies through a cross-sectoral approach.
5. Expansion of Electric Transport:
- Expand the network of electric transport to reduce emissions from traditional vehicles.
6. Congestion Tolls:
- Restrict vehicular movement in urban centers by levying congestion tolls on smoke-emitting transport.
7. Pedestrian Zones:
- Introduce pedestrian zones as a compulsory requirement in urban designing and restructuring to protect citizens from air and noise pollution.
8. Community Engagement:
- Engage communities and local bodies in monitoring air quality systematically, fostering swift and sustained action through stringent regulatory frameworks.
9. Implementation of Regulations:
- Strengthen the implementation of regulations and policies to curb pollution effectively.
10. Climate Change Integration:
- Integrate the National Clean Air Policy with climate change policies for a comprehensive and coordinated approach.
IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article:
- Air Pollution Impact on Life Expectancy in Pakistan: Reduced by four years compared to the global average reduction of 2.3 years.
- Most Polluted Urban Centers: Lahore, Peshawar, Gujranwala, New Delhi, and Kolkata.
- Major Sources of Air Pollution in Pakistan: Toxic emissions from industry, transport, waste burning, and seasonal crop residue burning.
- Urbanization Rate in Pakistan: The highest in the region, with half of the country’s population projected to live in cities by 2025.
MCQs from the Article:
- What is the impact of air pollution on life expectancy in Pakistan, according to the article?
A. Reduced by 2.3 years
B. Reduced by 4 years
C. Increased by 2.3 years
D. Unaffected -
Which cities are mentioned as having the worst air quality in the article?
A. Islamabad and Karachi
**B. Lahore, Peshawar, Gujran
wala, New Delhi, and Kolkata**
C. Beijing and Tokyo
D. London and Paris
- What is the major factor contributing to increased air pollution during winter in South Asia?
A. Heavy rainfall
B. Increased wind speed
C. Cold and heavy air trapping smoke and dust
D. Reduced industrial activities -
What does the article suggest as a solution to reduce pollution in urban centers?
A. Increase vehicular movement
B. Expand unregulated urban sprawl
C. Introduce congestion tolls on smoke-emitting transport
D. Ban electric transport -
What is highlighted as a significant concern in the article regarding urbanization in Pakistan?
A. Lack of modern amenities
B. Unsustainable and unregulated urban sprawl
C. Overemphasis on green cover
D. Inefficient waste management
VOCABULARY:
- Calamitous (adjective) (فاجعہآمیز): Involving calamity; catastrophic.
- Sprawl (noun) (پھیلاوٹ): The spread of something in an irregular and untidy manner.
- Exacerbates (verb) (بڑھا دیتا ہے): Makes (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.
- Sustained (adjective) (دائمی): Continuing for an extended period without interruption.
- Cross-sectoral (adjective) (کراس-سیکٹرل): Involving or relating to different sectors, especially different areas of business or industry.
- Congestion (noun) (بھڑاس): The state of being congested.
- Coordination (noun) (ہم آہنگی): The organization of different elements or activities so as to enable them to work together effectively.
- Advisories (noun) (مشورے): Official warnings or advice.
- Juncture (noun) (موقع): A particular point in events or time.
- Epicentre (noun) (زلزلے کا مرکز): The point on the earth’s surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake.
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South Asia’s smog
Jamil Ahmad
AIR pollution is a major environmental threat of our time, affecting our well-being and posing health hazards to the most vulnerable members of our communities. South Asia, home to a quarter of the global population, has the worst urban air pollution in the world. Most South Asians live in areas where air pollution levels significantly exceed the WHO guidelines, exposing people to unhealthy air year-round and shortening life expectancy.
At the start of winter, air pollution increases to extremely dangerous levels. The toxic mix of smoke and dust is trapped by cold and heavy air, converting it into thick layers of smog over long periods of dry weather. In addition to health hazards, reduced visibility endangers lives on roads and motorways. Only occasional spells of rain provide temporary relief from the smog, even as highly dangerous levels of pollution remain in the air.
The air quality in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal is counted as the worst. Lahore, Peshawar, Gujranwala, New Delhi, and Kolkata rank among the world’s most polluted urban centres. A recent news report labelled South Asia as the ‘epicentre’ of air pollution. This year, the situation is alarming. The impact of living under such hazardous conditions is particularly calamitous for children, the elderly and those with respiratory and cardiac health conditions.
In Pakistan, due to air pollution, life expectancy has been reduced by four years compared to the global average reduction of 2.3 years. In the worst-affected urban areas, such as Peshawar and Lahore, residents are expected to lose as many as five years of their lives as a result of unhealthy air.
Air pollution has reduced life expectancy.
The drivers of air pollution are well known, as are the solutions to control it. Toxic emissions from industry, transport, waste burning and seasonal crop residue burning are major sources of air pollution in Pakistan.
In some parts of Pakistan, health advisories have been issued and educational institutes and offices closed for short periods, with the expectation that less human activity would reduce the smog and protect the vulnerable. This is no lasting solution. A ban on crop residue burning will also not be effective until farmers are provided with an alternative system to clean their land of crop residue in an environmentally friendly way. Meanwhile, court cases against polluters often fall by the wayside, either due to the inability of prosecuting agencies to produce timely evidence, or law enforcement agencies’ lack of capacity.
Land use management regulations are another area warranting immediate attention. Pakistan’s urbanisation rate is the highest in the region. Half of the country’s population will be living in cities by 2025. In the process, unsustainable and often unregulated urban sprawl is taking place, mostly at the expense of green cover, depriving the cities of natural air filters. This exacerbates air pollution significantly.
Conversion of agricultural land or forested areas into housing schemes must be regulated to ensure the provision of sufficient green spaces around cities. This is also important to safeguard natural habitats for wildlife and biodiversity, and thus essential for a balanced ecosystem.
The United Nations Environment Programme has identified implementation and policy gaps and compiled actions that governments can take to address air pollution. The costs of inaction are high. The burden of disease and economic costs keep rising. Urgent and bold measures are needed to tackle the problem on a permanent basis. Strengthening the implementation arm of law enforcement agencies will enable the courts to penalise polluters.
Other steps to help reduce pollution include expanding the network of electric transport and restricting vehicular movement in urban centres by levying a congestion toll on smoke-emitting transport. Introducing pedestrian zones is useful to protect citizens from air and noise pollution.
Temporary closure of traffic in recent roadworks in Peshawar cantonment provided a pleasant peek into how pedestrians could enjoy smoke-free air in an otherwise polluted and noisy part of the city. The provision of pedestrian zones should be a compulsory requirement of urban designing and restructuring. Through a cross-sectoral approach, Pakistan’s National Clean Air Policy should be implemented in synergy with climate change policies through a bottom-up approach.
Engaging communities and local bodies will be helpful to monitor air quality in a systemic manner and propel swift and sustained action at ground level through stringent regulatory frameworks.
Citizens all over are increasingly raising concerns about the impact of air pollution on their lives. Their calls for clean air must be heard and answered.
The writer is director of intergovernmental affairs, United Nations Environment Programme.
Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2023
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