In an unprecedented environmental disaster, Pakistan finds itself situated right at the heart of catastrophe. It is increasingly becoming one of the most polluted nations globally, as a result of the bad air quality levels that place the lives of city residents — such as those in Lahore — at risk.
These environmental impacts have not elicited meaningful action from the state, leaving affected individuals to bear the brunt of an ever-polluted atmosphere, untreated sewage and ever-mounting environmental debts.
Recent data has confirmed Pakistan’s place as one of the three most polluted countries in the world, while some reports have even suggested that it has now taken over the second spot. In cities such as Lahore, Faisalabad, and Peshawar, the AQI goes above 300 most of the time, which is in the hazardous category and is known to cause serious respiratory, cardiovascular and premature mortality conditions.
The World Health Organisation’s safe air quality standard is something no city in Pakistan meets at the moment.
Lahore, which is culturally and economically the heartbeat of the country, has in recent years also become synonymous with toxic smog. This usually takes place in the winter when emissions from crop burning, vehicles and industries slowly trap toxic air over the city. The government, in response, promises school and office closure but sadly remains ineffective and does little to deal with the roots of the crisis.
While air pollution grabs the headlines, Pakistan faces a more dire situation with water pollution. Just out of Karachi, an estimated 700 million gallons of untreated sewage flow directly into the Arabian Sea daily. Along with it goes most industrial waste, medical discharge and household sewage which turn the coastlines into more or less a toxic soup of pollutants.
In some areas of Karachi, the marine ecosystem seems to be collapsing. The beaches in Karachi, which were once the spots for weekend getaways, have now become spaces for throwing diseased waste.
And there is a pin-drop silence from policymakers. No substantial investment has been made in the sewage treatment plant and the city drainage system, built decades ago, continues to collapse under the weight of urban sprawl. All this points not only to ecological destruction but also to severe health implications. It means there will be massive outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and skin infections in coastal communities.
The economic cost, in this case, is mind-boggling. Figures suggest that due to diseases, economic disruptions and the impacts of climate change, Pakistan runs up an environmental debt of nearly Rs1 billion per day. The amount goes far above and beyond what the country is investing in priority social sectors and yet there is no clear policy roadmap to lower this financial burden.
