Lahore and Multan, along with several districts of Punjab, have been encountering the worst smog since the first week of November. The maximum air quality index (AQI) has been recorded as 2,000 in some cities.

Experts predict that the ongoing condition will continue until February 2025. However, the government is taking multiple actions against it.

Besides the provincial capital, educational institutions (primary to higher secondary), museums and recreational areas in district Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal remained shut till Nov 19/20.

Shopping malls and shops in Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad have been ordered to close down by 8pm. Moreover, a ‘Green Lockdown’ has been imposed in some areas of Lahore.

On Oct 29, the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the green lockdown notice, covering Davis Road, Egerton Road, Durand Road, Kashmir Road, Abbott Road (Shimla Pahari to Gulistan Cinema), Empress Road, Garhi Shahu, Queen Mary Road and surrounding localities. There was a ban on motorcycle-rickshaws, heavy traffic, smoke-emitting generators, open food cooking, barbecue and burning of firewood and coal in these areas. Public and private offices were asked to reduce the employee’s presence to 50pc and shift to the work-from-home option.

Along with the ban on events in marriage halls and marquees after 10pm, the entry of heavy vehicles on Saturday and Sunday nights was blocked in Lahore. Construction work in the green lockdown areas was banned.

Raja Jahangir Anwar, secretary of Environment Protection Department, says the government imposed the lockdown after considering traffic congestion and fumes emitting from the area, air quality rate, construction works, generators usage, number of educational institutions, parking stands and markets.

According to him, the green lockdown was imposed in 12 ‘hotspot areas,’ considering more air pollution activities there. Eleven more areas are under consideration for the lockdown.

Effect of the green lockdown on air quality

A green lockdown has been imposed in an area of approximately one kilometre around Shimla Hill and its surroundings. An increase in deterioration was observed after inspecting the air quality before and after this lockdown.

AQI of Shimla Hill before green lockdown (EPA Punjab)

Date            27-Oct    28-Oct    29-Oct    30-Oct    31-Oct
Shimla Hills      246     362        272         249        170
Lahore (Avg.)    262     353        324         248        192

Air Quality Index of City and Shimla Hills Following Green Lockdown

                                            Lahore Average AQI    

Date    EPA    AI Air    Shimla Hills
5-Nov    309    509          262
6-Nov    447    729          405
7-Nov    607    730          532
8-Nov    588    698          521
9-Nov    559    664          492

The AQI data reveals zero reduction in smog and air pollution after the green lockdown. However, it impacts on the lives of people in these areas and the farmers were significant.

Impact on communities

There were no evident advantages of green lockdown in certain areas. However, its disadvantages have started to emerge.

Asad Mahmood is a resident of Garhi Shahu who works on a daily wage at a barbeque restaurant. He says that restaurant owners temporarily ceased work due to the ban on open-food cooking, leaving him and his colleagues unemployed for a week.

Like Asad, people working in parking stands, construction sector etc also remained deprived of income in the green lockdown areas.

All schools up to the higher secondary level were closed in four divisions of Punjab, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan. The study mode was shifted to online.

Samina Javed, a resident of Davis Road, criticises this action, explaining that there is no facility for online study in public schools and wherever the facility is available how will it work for a poor man?

“I have four children. My husband’s monthly income is Rs45,000. We live in a rented house. The government has announced the online mode of study. How do we arrange internet, mobiles or laptops for our kids in these circumstances?” she raises the pertinent question.

Jahangir Anwar acknowledges that the ‘green lockdown’ has not yielded sufficient results, saying that the winds arriving from India are increasing air pollution in Lahore, Multan and adjacent Pakistani areas.

Real causes of smog and experts suggestions

Aleem Butt, an Asian consulting engineer and environmentalist, considers continuous industrial operation and traffic congestion as the reasons for the failure of the green lockdown, saying that the latter is the biggest cause of smog.

“The government must impose a complete lockdown to achieve results as we observed that the lockdown had significantly improved the air quality during Covid-19.”

However, environmentalist Badar Munir insists on coordinated and concrete measures. He points out that Britain and China experienced severe smog in the past but they took concrete measures leading to a marked reduction in air pollution.

He recalls that in December 1952, London was engulfed in smog for five days, which is also known as ‘The Great Smog of London’. Ten thousand people died during this period while others were compelled to remain indoors. According to him, the British Parliament legislated in 1956, and under the Clean Air Act, subsidies were provided to citizens and industrialists to control pollution, ensuring the use of standard fuel. Heavy fines were imposed on smog-emitting vehicles, and older vehicles were banned.

Munir says the outcome of the British actions is evident. Beijing, a Chinese city, has also undergone several measures to reduce smog. Although the pollution there is not eradicated completely, there is a decline compared to previous years.

Artificial rain or coordination with India

The Punjab government is also considering artificial rainfall to reduce smog. However, experts call it an ‘expensive deal’ due to finances and climate change.

Punjab University Professor Dr Zulfikar Ali explains that artificial rain is impossible in the first two weeks of November because it requires the presence of clouds. It is possible in January but incurs a huge cost, he says.

“Instead of artificial rain, water should be sprayed on the roads in Lahore where traffic pollution is highest. Water cannons should be deployed capable of spraying water up to 80 to 90 feet. In this way, smoke particles in the air fall down with the water.”

Dr Zulfiqar reveals that crop residue burning is one of the causes of smog in central and eastern Punjab. However, the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has launched a $10 million project to examine smog in Pakistan.

“Under this project, Pakistani and Indian environmentalists can work together to specify the origin of smog. Air quality can be monitored by installing sensors in cities on both sides of the border, which will rapidly locate the pollution site. However, this requires both countries to shake hands.”

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has also raised the issue of smog and referred to environmental diplomacy with India. In this context, the Punjab government has also written a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss environment issue with the India.

The government should take coordinated and concrete measures to reduce air pollution. Otherwise, whether it’s a Covid lockdown or a green lockdown, its negative consequences are felt by the poor and daily-wage labourers who suffer from unemployment and deprivation of education for their children.