Written by: Faiza Riasat
Air pollution in Pakistan has reached crisis levels, posing severe threats to public health, economic productivity, and environmental sustainability. According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, Pakistan ranks as the third most polluted country in the world, with a national average PM2.5 concentration of 73.7 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), over 14 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended safe level of 5 µg/m³.
This ranking places Pakistan behind only Chad and Bangladesh, with India and the Democratic Republic of Congo completing the top five most polluted nations globally. In 2024, several major Pakistani cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Lahore, and Peshawar, witnessed rising pollution levels. Twelve cities in the country recorded annual PM2.5 levels more than ten times the WHO guideline.
Various factors are responsible for the worsening air quality in the country. Key contributors include vehicular emissions, industrial activity, brick kilns, biomass and crop residue burning, open waste incineration, construction dust, and widespread deforestation. In Lahore alone, vehicular emissions account for up to 83% of total pollution.
During winter months, the pollution rises to a dangerous level due to agricultural stubble burning and temperature inversions that trap particulate matter close to the ground. During this period, PM2.5 concentrations often exceed 100 µg/m³, more than 20 times the safe threshold, resulting in a thick, hazardous smog enveloping urban centres. Lahore surpassed this benchmark in 2024 for the first time since 2018.
The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute estimates that air pollution reduces life expectancy in Pakistan by over four years on average. It identifies particulate pollution as the second-most serious threat to public health, after cardiovascular diseases. The report links rising pollution to increased cases of mental health disorders, including anxiety, seasonal depression, and mood-related illnesses.
The State of Global Air 2024 report further reveals that air pollution was responsible for 256,000 deaths in Pakistan in 2021.
To address the air pollution crisis, the federal and provincial governments have launched various initiatives. However, experts argue that policy implementation lacks urgency and coordination. Moreover, with climate change intensifying extreme weather events like heatwaves, flash floods, and water scarcity, the nexus between air pollution and environmental degradation is growing clearer.
Smog, a dangerous by-product of urban pollution, has become a recurring nightmare in cities like Lahore. It forms when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react with sunlight, creating ground-level ozone and fine particulates. This thick haze severely affects people with respiratory illnesses and poses significant risks to children and the elderly.
To address this most urgent crisis, a coordinated national and regional response is needed. South Asia, with shared geography and air corridors, must cooperate on data sharing, research, and policy alignment. Within Pakistan, addressing air pollution will require localised action to reduce traffic congestion, eliminate open garbage burning, improve industrial emissions controls, and strengthen urban planning.
The private sector must also be engaged. Businesses can contribute by adopting clean technologies, investing in green infrastructure, and collaborating on emission-reducing innovations. Financing mechanisms, both domestic and international, are critical to support air quality monitoring systems, emission scrubbers, and clean transport. Tackling Pakistan’s air pollution crisis demands a collective and sustained response. ******* (The Author is student of Environmental Engineering, IESE NUST, Islamabad).
