ISLAMABAD: Environmentalists told a Senate body on Thursday that the air is 10 times more polluted than the permitted level in all major cities throughout the year.

“We are suffering from air pollution beyond the legal limit every day, throughout the year,” environmental lawyer, Rafay Alam told the Senate Climate Change Caucus.

Showing them satellite images of the dust cloud blanketing the whole country, graphs and pictures of healthy and sick lungs, Mr Alam urged the Senate body to revisit and fix Pakistan’s energy policy, to promote green practices in the industry and plan urban development.

MPs urged to revisit, fix Pakistan’s energy policy, promote green practices, plan urban development.

The Climate Change Caucus was formed by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman to build literacy among policy makers on issues of public importance such as the deteriorating environment in the country.

Mr Alam gave the example of Lahore, one of the most polluted cities in the world due to emissions from cars, construction dust and pollution from coal fired plants. Crop burning around Lahore is not the only cause of smog.

Mr Alam compared air pollution in Lahore with that in Delhi, India where cancer due to breathing polluted air is as common as cancer in smokers.

He said the air pollution in Lahore mixes with the fog in winters to make smog which leads to numerous health issues.

“Air pollution is causing stunted growth in children and people with mental disabilities,” the environmental lawyer said.

The meeting was told that no one took notice of the smog when it first happened in Nov 2016.

The following year, the high court took notice fearing the smog could potentially become an annual event.

“When environmental watchdogs in Lahore identify pollution levels as moderate actually hazardous under international standards,” Mr Alam said, adding that misleading citizens is criminal.

He used images from the Nasa, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to show hot spots in Punjab created by coal powered plants and nitrogen dioxide, one of the constituents of green house gases, spreading towards Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

Mr Alam gave the example of China where politicians are shown hard scientific facts.

“The change came when political decisions were made,” he said.

Alternate energy sources, desulphurization of coal power plants, controlling vehicular and industrial emissions and engaging the private sector to declare war on air pollution were some of the effective measures taken by China, he explained.

“The problem of air pollution will not solved by merely planting trees,” the expert explained.

The presentation seemed to have some effect on the parliamentarians who suggested that air quality measuring devices be installed in all provinces to understand the extent of air pollution across the country.

Senator Sherry Rehman said that the committee of the whole should also be informed of the problem of increasing air pollution in the country and recommended measures to be taken to spread awareness of the issue.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2018