Lahore’s Air Crisis: From City of Gardens to City of Smog

By Qaiser Sharif, Deputy General Secretary Jamaat-e-Islami Lahore / Convener, Public Aid Committee
 

Nazrana Times — October 27, 2025

LAHORE: The World Health Organization (WHO) and medical experts at Lahore General Hospital have declared Lahore’s worsening air pollution a public health emergency, warning that “every breath taken in Lahore is now a challenge to human health.”
Once celebrated as the City of Gardens, Lahore’s air quality has deteriorated drastically over the past few decades. According to Qaiser Sharif, Deputy General Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Lahore, the decline reflects years of poor governance and environmental neglect, especially under administrations of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), which has ruled Punjab for much of the last thirty years.

“Millions of trees were cut down in Lahore without any replacement plantation. Vision and long-term planning were missing,” Sharif said.

From Moderate Pollution to Global Infamy
Sharif recalled that in 2013, when Beijing’s “Airpocalypse” made headlines, Lahore’s pollution was still moderate. But by 2016, the city had become infamous as “Smog City”, with Air Quality Index (AQI) readings consistently between 200 and 300 — hazardous levels.
In 2017, WHO and Greenpeace data ranked Lahore the 7th most polluted city in the world.

“Even then, the Punjab government failed to take serious action,” he added, referring to the tenure of then-Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pollution Peaks and Health Emergencies
By 2019, reports from IQAir listed Lahore among the top three most polluted cities globally. During the 2020–2021 winter seasons, AQI readings often exceeded 500, a level classified by WHO as “severe hazardous.”
Health experts report a 30% increase in respiratory illnesses in Lahore’s hospitals by 2024, with cases of asthma, chronic cough, bronchitis, and COPD on the rise.
Toxic pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide are also linked to hypertension, heart attacks, memory loss, premature births, and skin and eye infections.

“No Vision from Current Government”
Sharif also criticised the present Punjab government led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, saying it has shown “no clear vision or seriousness.”

“Blaming India’s air or making social media videos is not governance. Protecting citizens’ health is a constitutional duty,” he said.
“The Punjab government has a budget exceeding five trillion rupees — yet it appears helpless and indifferent.”
Call for Real Action
Sharif argued that the issue is not merely environmental but political and administrative.
“Public awareness campaigns and genuine policy implementation are essential,” he stressed.
Citing China’s example, he highlighted how Beijing transformed its air quality through a 40-year “Green Belt” initiative, planting 3.5 billion trees and creating protective Forest Shields around cities.
In contrast, Lahore continues to lose green cover — with the government even failing to meet its modest target of planting 500,000 saplings this year.
Proposed Steps for a Cleaner Lahore
Sharif suggested a series of urgent measures:
1. Launch a comprehensive public awareness campaign across all media.
2. Mandate tree plantation for students at graduation, rewarding them with certificates or extra marks.
3. Require housing projects to include tree plantation plans before NOC approval.
4. Implement Green Roof and Vertical Garden policies.
5. Expand Miyawaki forests and large-scale plantation on barren state lands.
6. Shift industries from coal to natural gas or other clean fuels.
7. Install real-time air quality monitors in factories and enforce strict fines or closures for violations.
8. Improve public transport and promote cycling to cut vehicular emissions.
9. Offer tax incentives and carbon credits to farmers planting trees.
“We need political will, not photo sessions or empty statements,” Sharif concluded.
“If Beijing can clean its air, so can Lahore — but only if leadership rises above words and delivers action.”