The real and present killer

Bomb blasts. Shoot-outs. Missiles. All are killers. When they happen, there is uproar. There is panic. There are emergency meetings. There are drastic steps taken. As they should be. How about a killer that kills without a blasting sound? How about a killer that maims you without hitting you? How about a killer who is known and present, but nobody catches it? How about a killer that is killing, but nobody is after it? Such killers used to be in James Bond movies, where the slippery murderers would operate stealthily till James Bond nailed them. There is a new term for such killing, i.e., ‘smogged to death’. Around 7 million people die globally due to smog-related deaths. Since Lahore has ranked consistently in the top three most polluted cities in the world, a million people could be dying in this city as I write this article.Once upon a time, Lahore was a city of gardens. Try telling your kids about those times. Take the names of the gardens — the Garden of Mahabat Khan, Naulakha Garden, Bagh-e-Dara, Anguri Bagh, Gulabi Bagh, Badami Bagh, Gardens of Raja Teja Singh in Chah Miran, Garden of Raja Dina Nath on Shalimar Road, Garden of Bhai Maha Singh near Shah Alam Gate. The children are going to mock and laugh on what they feel was just a figment of our imagination. Even the better known ones like Shalamar Garden, Lahore Zoological Gardens, Anarkali Garden and Manto Park (Iqbal Park) are victims of underpasses and over passes. River Ravi was once a great picnic spot with gardens near it. River Ravi is now a filth dump. The garden of Mirza Kamran, built by the Mughal of the same name, was once an amazing green sight next to River Ravi. Today the garden lies in ruins. These ruins are not just representative of demise of history and culture, these ruins reflect a city demise. What has happened and why nobody is bothered on this desecration of the very air we breathe and live is due to:The quick and profitable politics — Smog and pollution are governance dependent. Governance is government dependent. Government is election dependent. Election in Pakistan is money dependent. Money is project dependent. Projects are policy dependent. Policy is politician dependent. And so goes this vicious circle that is emanating from polluted mindsets. The mental and intellectual smog that envelops the people sitting in higher offices is the root cause of this killing spree. Environment in general and smog in particular are not vote winning issues. “Development” as they call it is on roads, underpasses, and signal- free corridors. They are big budget, big commission projects that line pockets and votes too. The ministry of climate change is a fashion item given to politicians who love globe-trotting and attending conferences. The same lame steps are taken every year of closing schools, closing markets and asking people to avoid going out without masks. This year all records have been broken as AQ level has hit the roof and more. AQ level 300 is supposed to be hazardous, Lahore is recording 1000 plus and Multan 2000 plus levels. This is no longer hazardous, it is disastrous. The massive constructions have eroded greenery and replaced them with concrete and mud flying all over. Lahore has been ripped off all gardens and greenery, leaving the forestation cover to 3% while the required level is 25%.Ignorance is not a bliss. Ignorance always sponsors invisible manipulation. For the illiterate, what they cannot see does not matter. For the uneducated, what does not affect them does not exist. That is why when metro buses and orange trains are introduced, they see and feel development is taking place. If these political toys are at the expense of trees and green belts, who cares? Smog stirs some of the educated class to speak as it affects their mobility and children education. Otherwise, as long as it is not interfering with their work and entertainment, all is well. The facts are startling. Lahorites now breathe clean air only 17 days of the year according to a report of 2022 by environmental protection department, Punjab. This is not just bad; it is terrible. The general belief is that smog is a couple of months’ phenomenon. Not so. The mix of toxic chemicals released in the air are called ‘PM’ or ‘Particular Matter’. The dangerous level reading is PM2.5. For PM2.5, short-term exposures (up to 24-hours duration) have been associated with premature mortality, increased hospital admissions for heart or lung causes, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, respiratory symptoms, and restricted activity days. Long-term (months to years) exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to premature deaths, particularly in people who have chronic heart or lung diseases, and reduced lung function growth in children. The fact that almost 11 and half months Lahore is emitting toxics explains the constant and consistent bouts of lung-related problems in children and elders. A fact not registered and not bothered about.The civil society apathy — The civil society inactivation, is also a reason why smog has every year progressed to catastrophic levels. The civil society sector comprising NGOs and professionals has tried, but not enough. Orange train case was won by the lawyers, but implementation was insignificant. There are mass violations of regulations. From crop burning to kiln making, the ability of the government to enforce laws is compromised by vested interest groups present in the parliament. A prime example was the Electric Vehicle policy that was due to pass in the parliament in 2022. That was a policy that was addressing the major smog contributor of fuel quality. In 2020, the law was passed to convert imported fuel from Euro-2 to Euro-5 quality that is the environmentally acceptable level with a timeframe for the local refineries to convert as well. How much of that has been implemented by the next government is anybody’s guess.The beauty of Lahore is a bygone tale. Where have all the gardens gone? Where have all the trees gone? It was a city of history. It was the city of culture. Likewise, it was a city of art. It was a city of architecture. All you can see is faint outlines of buildings engulfed by smog. When you look down, you see mud flying out of roads and passes under construction. When you look up, the sky is yellowish grey. October and November used to be the heavenly times. Times of outdoor activity. Times of family get-togethers. Times for friends’ barbecues. Times for children funfairs. What has happened to Lahore? Abdicated and abandoned, its current leaders have merrily decided to saunter to Switzerland’s environmentally safe sojourns. It is these polluted mindsets that have reduced the city and its people into a town of sickness, gloom, and despair.Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

Bomb blasts. Shoot-outs. Missiles.

All are killers. When they happen, there is uproar. There is panic.

There are emergency meetings. There are drastic steps taken. As they should be.

How about a killer that kills without a blasting sound? How about a killer that maims you without hitting you? How about a killer who is known and present, but nobody catches it? How about a killer that is killing, but nobody is after it? Such killers used to be in James Bond movies, where the slippery murderers would operate stealthily till James Bond nailed them. There is a new term for such killing, i.e.

, ‘smogged to death’. Around 7 million people die globally due to smog-related deaths. Since Lahore has ranked consistently in the top three most polluted cities in the world, a million people could be dying in this city as I write this article.

Once upon a time, Lahore was a city of gardens. Try telling your kids about those times. Take the names of the gardens — the Garden of Mahabat Khan, Naulakha Garden, Bagh-e-Dara, Anguri Bagh, Gulabi Bagh, Badami Bagh, Gardens of Raja Teja Singh in Chah Miran, Garden of Raja Dina Nath on Shalimar Road, Garden of Bhai Maha Singh near Shah Alam Gate.

The children are going to mock and laugh on what they feel was just a figment of our imagination. Even the better known ones like Shalamar Garden, Lahore Zoological Gardens, Anarkali Garden and Manto Park (Iqbal Park) are victims of underpasses and over passes. River Ravi was once a great picnic spot with gardens near it.

River Ravi is now a filth dump. The garden of Mirza Kamran, built by the Mughal of the same name, was once an amazing green sight next to River Ravi. Today the garden lies in ruins.

These ruins are not just representative of demise of history and culture, these ruins reflect a city demise. What has happened and why nobody is bothered on this desecration of the very air we breathe and live is due to: The mental and intellectual smog that envelops the people sitting in higher offices is the root cause of this killing spree. Environment in general and smog in particular are not vote winning issues.

“Development” as they call it is on roads, underpasses, and signal- free corridors. They are big budget, big commission projects that line pockets and votes too. The ministry of climate change is a fashion item given to politicians who love globe-trotting and attending conferences.

The same lame steps are taken every year of closing schools, closing markets and asking people to avoid going out without masks. This year all records have been broken as AQ level has hit the roof and more. AQ level 300 is supposed to be hazardous, Lahore is recording 1000 plus and Multan 2000 plus levels.

This is no longer hazardous, it is disastrous. The massive constructions have eroded greenery and replaced them with concrete and mud flying all over. Lahore has been ripped off all gardens and greenery, leaving the forestation cover to 3% while the required level is 25%.

Otherwise, as long as it is not interfering with their work and entertainment, all is well. The facts are startling. Lahorites now breathe clean air only 17 days of the year according to a report of 2022 by environmental protection department, Punjab.

This is not just bad; it is terrible. The general belief is that smog is a couple of months’ phenomenon. Not so.

The mix of toxic chemicals released in the air are called ‘PM’ or ‘Particular Matter’. The dangerous level reading is PM2.5.

For PM2.5, short-term exposures (up to 24-hours duration) have been associated with premature mortality, increased hospital admissions for heart or lung causes, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, respiratory symptoms, and restricted activity days. Long-term (months to years) exposure to PM2.

5 has been linked to premature deaths, particularly in people who have chronic heart or lung diseases, and reduced lung function growth in children. The fact that almost 11 and half months Lahore is emitting toxics explains the constant and consistent bouts of lung-related problems in children and elders. A fact not registered and not bothered about.

There are mass violations of regulations. From crop burning to kiln making, the ability of the government to enforce laws is compromised by vested interest groups present in the parliament. A prime example was the Electric Vehicle policy that was due to pass in the parliament in 2022.

That was a policy that was addressing the major smog contributor of fuel quality. In 2020, the law was passed to convert imported fuel from Euro-2 to Euro-5 quality that is the environmentally acceptable level with a timeframe for the local refineries to convert as well. How much of that has been implemented by the next government is anybody’s guess.

The beauty of Lahore is a bygone tale. Where have all the gardens gone? Where have all the trees gone? It was a city of history. It was the city of culture.

Likewise, it was a city of art. It was a city of architecture. All you can see is faint outlines of buildings engulfed by smog.

When you look down, you see mud flying out of roads and passes under construction. When you look up, the sky is yellowish grey. October and November used to be the heavenly times.

Times of outdoor activity. Times of family get-togethers. Times for friends’ barbecues.

Times for children funfairs. What has happened to Lahore? Abdicated and abandoned, its current leaders have merrily decided to saunter to Switzerland’s environmentally safe sojourns. It is these polluted mindsets that have reduced the city and its people into a town of sickness, gloom, and despair.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024.