THIS is with reference to the news ‘KMC launches plan to keep citizens updated on air quality’ (May 17). Under the plan, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) would display Air Quality Index (AQI) values on streamers and surface-mounted devices (SMDs) installed across its jurisdiction. This means that the AQI would appear on screen in numbers. The air quality remains unhealthy most of the time, and one wonders how putting the AQI numbers on a screen will change anything.

People would see the numbers on the screen and move on. For public awareness regarding air pollution and poor environ-mental conditions in the city, the Sindh government and KMC should do something more positive. Every other day, we see trucks carrying solid waste and garbage without covering it. They dump waste in the Malir River and even burn it, which produces toxic fumes. In many areas, garbage collection is poor because of conflict among different waste disposal agencies, like town administrations and the Sindh Solid Waste Board (SSWB). In certain areas, work is assigned to contractors. Resultantly, huge piles of garbage remain dumped on various sites.

The city’s sewerage system remains choked and in a bad shape. Plastic bags block the sewerage lines and gutters overflow for days. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has failed to bring any improvement. Vehicles emitting smoke are another source of pollution. In certain areas of the city, noise pollution has touched alarming levels. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and laws are present to control the rising pollution, but their implementation frameworks are weak. Industrial waste and chemicals cause serious environmental hazards. Factories discharge waste into the sewerage system, which ultimately goes into the sea, pollutes seashore and harms marine life.

Therefore, provincial and local govern- ments and the KMC should focus on practical steps to curb pollution. Merely showing numbers on screens is useless as it cannot fix the environmental problems.

Dr Alfred Charles
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2026