Report explains documented impact on human health using clear, accessible scientific evidence
A view of smog in Punjab province. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan has released its first comprehensive national assessment on air pollution, presenting a scientific analysis of emissions sources, impact on public health and policy gaps across four major urban airsheds.
The report, prepared by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI), was launched at the Clean Air Summit held at a private university in Lahore, where environmental experts and policymakers described it a critical milestone for evidence-based decision-making.
According to the assessment, air pollution has emerged as the country’s most severe environmental and public health challenge, reducing average life expectancy by nearly four years and contributing to more than 100,000 premature deaths annually. Fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, is linked with rising cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, while sustained pollution levels in major cities pose long-term risks to people in the affected zones.
The report draws on satellite data, chemical transport modelling and PAQI’s real-time monitoring network, offering disaggregated analyses for the Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi-Islamabad and Peshawar airsheds. It outlines key urban pollution sources and explains their documented impacts on human health using clear, accessible scientific evidence.
In Lahore, emission from transport, industrial activity and brick kilns remain the dominant contributors, with winter temperature inversions worsening pollution. Karachi’s pollution is driven largely by industrial clusters operating with low-quality fuels and weak regulation, accounting for nearly half of the city’s emissions.
In Rawalpindi-Islamabad, rapid growth in vehicular traffic has become the primary source of particulate pollution, while Peshawar’s valley-like geography and transit-trade corridors lead to higher average exposure levels compared with other cities.
PAQI founder Abid Omar noted that the report is the result of nearly a decade of data collection and scientific analysis aimed at shifting Pakistan’s policy debate from conjecture to evidence.
The document also includes thematic chapters on fundamental rights, environmental justice and institutional reforms, featuring contributions from former Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Senator Sherry Rehman, Rafay Alam, Sarah Hayat, Dr Saima Saeed, Dr Sanval Nasim, Dr Kulsoom Ahmed and other experts. Omar said, policymakers now have an unmistakable scientific picture identifying where the problem lies and how it can be addressed.
The report stresses that upgrading transport systems, modernising industrial units, transitioning brick kilns to cleaner technologies and enforcing continuous emissions monitoring can reduce pollution by up to 50 per cent. Such improvements, it notes, would significantly lessen health risks currently borne by urban populations across the country.
