 "Delhi, Lahore, & Dhaka: Is South Asia becoming the world's ‘smog capital’?")
Air pollution has become a pressing issue in South Asia every winter.
Cold air traps dust, emissions and smoke from farm fires, while pollution could cut more than five years from people’s life expectancy in the region, according to a study published last year.
As per a report by Swiss group IQAir, a few cities in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, among others, have retained their position as the most polluted ones in the region.
India
Swiss group IQAir, which draws data from 14 regional monitoring stations, rated New Delhi as the world’s second most polluted city on Wednesday, with a score of 299. Diwali celebrations on October 31 and November 1 pushed the Capital’s air quality to hazardous levels, as per the report.
In an effort to reduce pollution, the Delhi government has banned firecrackers during Diwali in recent years, but compliance has been mainly disregarded.
Seasonal crop burning from neighbouring states, which is typical in the early winter, also led to smog. Air quality is worsened by cold, heavy air that retains pollution from different sources.
Due to the deteriorating levels of air pollution, Delhi is keen to use artificial rain to fight air pollution this year, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday.
Parts of Mumbai were covered in haze on Thursday, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reporting that the city’s and its neighbouring areas’ overall air quality remained in the “moderate” category with an AQI of 112.
Following Diwali night, Bengaluru saw an unprecedented AQI, which negatively impacted the air quality in some regions of the city. On November 1, Hebbal recorded an AQI of 263; on the next day of Diwali, the Jigani area similarly experienced poor air quality, with 123 AQI values.
Pakistan
Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, which is just 25 kilometres from the border with India, for days. It is the neighbouring country’s second-largest city after the southern port city of Karachi.
IQAir rated Lahore the world’s most polluted city, with an air quality index (AQI) score of 1165, more than 120 times the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Pollution rose to unprecedented levels on Sunday (November 3) on the city’s outskirts, with a score of 1900.
Besides Lahore, Karachi is also on the list of most polluted cities.
On Tuesday, more than 900 people were admitted to hospitals with respiratory problems, Punjab senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said at a news conference on Wednesday. “If you don’t want to become one of them, for God’s sake, stay at home.”
Lahore officials have previously blamed pollution on vehicle fuel of poor quality, as well as construction and industrial activity. This year, however, more than ever before, the provincial government has blamed toxic air wafting in from India .
The government has implemented emergency measures , such as closed primary schools, banned three-wheelers or rickshaws, halted some building work, and told people to stay indoors. It has also set up a “smog war room” to monitor the situation and oversee action to combat the pollution.
Pakistan’s Punjab plans to approach India through the foreign ministry for talks to thrash out a solution to the toxic air. “We are hopeful that India will respond positively,” Aurangzeb told the Indian Express newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.
Bangladesh
The neighbouring country consistently ranks as the most polluted nation.
With a population-weighted PM2.5 concentration of 79.9 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³) this year, it was significantly higher than the WHO is recommended threshold of 5 µg/m³.
Bangladesh’s pollution levels are largely caused by industrial emissions, rapid urbanisation, and a strong reliance on fossil fuels.
The capital, Dhaka, frequently experiences extreme smog, especially during the dry season, which causes numerous health issues.
The reason behind poor air quality
The IQAir report states that “brick kiln and other industrial emissions, agricultural waste burning, and cremation practices” are frequently to blame for South Asia’s poor air quality. Additionally, it stated that burning solid fuels for heating and cooking contributes to air pollution, particularly in the winter months.
South Asia’s geography contributes to the buildup of air pollution as well.
According to Al Jazeera, citing the report, pollutants transported into the area by winds flowing in from the coast mingle with pollutants released from across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which includes Bangladesh, most of northern and eastern India, a considerable portion of eastern Pakistan, and the south of Nepal.
The Himalayas, which border the north, then trap them.
Effect of poor air
After decades of research on air pollution, the Imperial College London Environmental Research Group released a review in April 2023, stating that there are links between air pollution and low birth weight, miscarriages, stillbirths, and the health of newborns during the first few weeks of life.
Additionally, early exposure to air pollution has been shown to impair growth.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that half of childhood pneumonia deaths are related to air pollution, and that around 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of it.
The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) released the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) in August 2023, which found that PM2.5 pollution lowers the typical Indian’s life expectancy by 5.3 years. The life expectancy is 10 years shorter in New Delhi.
According to the report, if the air quality in Pakistan complied with WHO standards, the average person would live for an additional 3.9 years.
The pollution also affects daily activities, like business and education.
With inputs from agencies
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