Pakistan’s Air Pollution Crisis Poses Grave Health Risks, Especially for Children

Pakistan’s air pollution has reached critical levels, prompting urgent warnings from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) about the severe health risks facing 11 million children in Punjab’s eastern region. The worsening smog, which experts have dubbed a “fifth season,” has engulfed Lahore, the nation’s cultural capital, and 17 other districts across Punjab for the past month, significantly deteriorating air quality.

Health authorities have reported that over 40,000 people have sought medical attention for respiratory issues, with 900 individuals hospitalized in Lahore alone on Tuesday. To address the surge in cases, special smog counters have been set up at clinics to manage the growing number of affected patients.

UNICEF’s Pakistan representative, Abdullah Fadil, highlighted the pressing need for governmental action to curb pollution, which has already contributed to a substantial number of child deaths. “Before the onset of this severe air pollution, approximately 12% of child deaths under the age of five in Pakistan were linked to air pollution,” said Fadil. “The unprecedented levels of smog this year will have devastating consequences, especially for children and pregnant women, and we won’t fully understand the long-term impacts for some time.”

Key Points of Pakistan’s Air Pollution Crisis:

• Lahore, home to 14 million residents and surrounded by industrial zones near the Indian border, is frequently ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities. This month, pollution levels have reached record-breaking figures, making the city the most polluted in the world on Tuesday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 1045, according to Swiss-based IQAir.
• The provincial government of Punjab has closed schools and public spaces, including parks and zoos, until November 17, to protect public health. Multan, another city in Punjab, recorded an AQI of 800 on Monday, with levels exceeding 2,000 last week, marking an unprecedented and alarming level of pollution.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that prolonged exposure to air pollution can lead to strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
• Although the government has mandated the use of face masks to combat the pollution, adherence has been inconsistent. Authorities are also exploring the possibility of inducing artificial rainfall as a potential solution to ease the thick smog.

The ongoing crisis continues to have severe health implications, particularly for children, with the full scale of the environmental and public health damage still unfolding. The government’s response and long-term solutions are critical to mitigating further harm to vulnerable populations.