The smog problem in Punjab is becoming serious in recent years and it gets worse with the onset of winter. Smog is a hazardous air pollution caused by the presence of various toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. When sunlight meets these gases, it forms a thick layer of smog that has harmful effects on human health, the environment, and the economy.
In Punjab, it is mainly due to uncontrolled factory emissions, vehicular emissions, burning of agricultural residues, and rapid construction activities. If this problem is not controlled, it will cause severe damage to human health as well as affecting crops, animals and local infrastructure. In such a situation, urgent and comprehensive measures are needed to improve public health and air quality.
Smog has serious adverse effects on human health and causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases that worsen over time. Especially children, elderly people and people who are already suffering from health problems are more affected by this pollution. The constant presence of toxic substances in the air can increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis and heart problems. The presence of pollution cannot be ignored in terms of mental health as research shows that living in a polluted environment can increase mental stress and anxiety in people.
The environment is also affected by this pollution because smog blocks sunlight, which is necessary for plants to undergo photosynthesis. This results in a reduction in crop production which affects agriculture. Animals and wildlife are also at risk, as polluted environments harm their health. In addition, the acidic components in smog also damage infrastructure, causing economic damage and making it difficult to live in cities.
Ending smog is not a matter of a couple of years, it is actually a symptom of climate change, requiring a long, continuous struggle and consistent policies to end it. But is it among the priorities of any of our governments? Have the people ever asked a political party to make the end of smog part of their manifesto, otherwise we won’t vote? Here the government does not pay any attention to this issue for eight months of the year and as soon as October comes, the race begins, that too only for show.
Smog is not new to the world, many developed countries have faced it and completely controlled it through strict policies. For example, the implementation of the Clean Air Act in the United States set stricter emission standards that significantly reduced air pollution. Japan effectively controlled industrial pollution and implemented laws to limit factory emissions. China has made great strides in controlling air pollution through measures such as monitoring air quality, curbing vehicle spending, and improving public transportation. The example of these countries shows that controlling smog is not too difficult, air quality can be improved only through good policies and their effective implementation.
In Punjab, the government has introduced some policies to control air pollution, such as a ban on burning of farm residues and checking vehicle emissions. However, implementation of these laws is difficult due to limited resources and public attitudes. Establishing Clean Air Zones in Punjab can be an effective strategy, where stringent air pollution control measures, such as strict restrictions on factory spending, restriction of vehicular traffic, and odd and even models will be implemented. It can be done i.e. in one day only vehicles with even last digit of registration number will come on the roads and on another day with odd number, this model has been tested in China and India, but for this we have to improve public transport. In addition, active monitoring of vehicles to ensure that they do not emit smoke, so that pollution in populated areas can be reduced. Encouraging the use of electric vehicles, with government support, can be an effective strategy for this purpose.
There is also room for improvement in the agriculture sector, as burning of crop residues is a major cause of smog. Farmers may be encouraged to convert farm residues into compost, use them as animal feed, or adopt sustainable agriculture practices such as zero-tillage. But farmers will need financial support and training programs to adopt these new techniques. Along with this, it is also necessary to promote plantation on a large scale, especially the trees that are our regional trees, such as neem, shesham, mulberry, banyan etc. and not palm, pine and such exotic trees that nature Not considered suitable for Punjab. Developed countries are very serious about their native trees, like USA, Canada, Australia, you can’t even take foreign tree seeds there.
Public awareness plays an important role in any pollution abatement strategy. Educating citizens about the sources and harms of smog and encouraging them to participate in activities such as limiting personal vehicle use or reporting illegal field burning can improve the environment.
Even today, if you go out of Lahore on the highway, you can see the remains of crops burning, which clearly shows the weakness of the government’s writ.
