Pakistan ‘second most polluted country’ in 2023
Zubair Anjum:
Islamabad: In 2023, Pakistan ranked as the second most polluted country in the world, with its neighboring countries Bangladesh and India also featuring at the top of the list for hazardous air quality, as per data published on Tuesday.
The report, titled the “2023 World Air Quality Report,” was released by IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organization. It highlighted that Lahore was the world’s fifth most polluted city and the most polluted megacity, with pollution levels reaching 99.5 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³), which is 20 times higher than the safe guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Based on this data, a calculation by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI) showed that hazardous air quality is resulting in a life expectancy loss of 4.4 years.
Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, told Reuters that “pollution has nowhere to go” because of the climate conditions and geography in South Asia.
“On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density,” she added. “Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better.”
The 2023 showed that air quality in Pakistan has further deteriorated from last year when the PM2.5 concentration was 70.9 µg/m3, according to IQAir.
Similarly, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth last year.
According to the report, Lahore was the most polluted mega city. India’s Begusarai, Guwahati, Delhi and Mullanpur cities were above it in the list of cities with the worst air quality.
The pollution levels in Punjab’s capital were even worse than New Delhi, which was 92.7 μg/m³.
In a press release, PAQI said that data reported by Punjab’s Environmental Protection Department showed alarming levels of hazardous air pollution in Lahore at 108 μg/m³.
“Especially alarming are the pollution levels during the smog season, averaging 251 μg/m³ in November, underlying the need for urgent action.”
Other major Pakistani cities with the worst pollution were: Faisalabad (88.2), Peshawar (76.5), Rawalpindi (59.5), Karachi (56.4) and Islamabad (42.4).
“These dangerous levels of air pollution significantly contribute to multiple health issues in Pakistan, causing chest infections and lung cancer as well as worsening lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” PAQI statement said while quoting Dr Saima Saeed, head of pulmonology and director of Lung Health Programme.
“Pakistan’s poor air quality makes other non-communicable diseases such as strokes, mental health issues and diabetes more likely. Air pollution is also known to affect fertility and the cognitive development of children.”
Dawar Hameed, the PAQI CEO, said Islamabad has gone up from 17th place to 9th in the list of most polluted capitals in the world.
