Pakistan’s worsening air pollution has reached a point where policy statements and seasonal warnings are no longer enough. The country needs sustained, coordinated and measurable action to protect public health and ensure that clean air is treated not as an environmental luxury, but as a basic necessity. Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Masood Malik’s warning that “time is running out” should be taken seriously. The recurring smog crisis, particularly in Punjab, is no longer simply a winter inconvenience. It is a persistent public-health and environmental emergency affecting millions of people.
The figures presented at the three-day stakeholders’ workshop on the implementation of Pakistan’s National Clean Air Policy are deeply concerning. Average PM2.5 exposure in Punjab has been estimated at around 52 micrograms per cubic metre, more than ten times the World Health Organisation’s recommended guideline. In central Lahore, annual averages of 110 to 130 micrograms have reportedly been recorded. Such levels demonstrate the scale of the challenge facing the country.
Pakistan already has a National Clean Air Policy, approved in 2023, with ambitious targets to reduce PM2.5 emissions by 38 per cent by 2030 and 81 per cent by 2040. The policy also identifies transport, industry, waste, agriculture and households as priority sectors. The problem, therefore, is not the absence of a policy framework. The real challenge is implementation.
Weak coordination between federal and provincial institutions has long complicated environmental governance. Following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, much of the responsibility for monitoring and controlling air pollution rests with the provinces. Yet air pollution does not respect administrative boundaries. Emissions generated in one area can affect communities hundreds of kilometres away. A fragmented approach will consequently produce fragmented results.
The proposal to establish a lean, science-based National Clean Air Secretariat deserves serious consideration. Such a mechanism could provide continuity, coordinate federal and provincial efforts, monitor progress and ensure that targets are supported by reliable data, financing and enforcement. Equally important is the regular updating of the national air pollutant emission inventory so that policies are based on current evidence rather than assumptions.
However, enforcement must remain at the centre of the clean-air agenda. Better fuel standards, stricter industrial controls, action against open burning and cleaner household energy will have little impact if regulations exist only on paper. Governments must establish clear responsibilities, measurable timelines and consequences for non-compliance.
Public awareness is another essential part of the solution. Citizens need to understand where pollution comes from, how it affects their health and what actions can reduce emissions. Media, schools, researchers and civil society and government institutions can play a major role in turning clean air into a sustained public debate.
Pakistan cannot afford to treat smog as an annual crisis that begins in autumn and disappears with winter. Clean air is directly linked to health, productivity, economic development and human dignity. The government now has an opportunity to convert the National Clean Air Policy into a practical programme of action. What is required is not another declaration of intent, but political will, institutional coordination, investment and consistent enforcement.