Matrix Report
The US Air Quality Index ranked Lahore as one of the most polluted cities in the world with US Air Quality Index (AQI), with a rating of 246, followed by the Indian capital New Dehli.
New Delhi, in comparison, tops the list with an AQI of 460 as listed by the IQAir service, Kolkata ranks sixth and Mumbai fourt in the entire list.
AQI of between 100 and 150 poses a potential risk to children and people with heart and lung disease. An AQI of above 150 is unhealthy for everyone, while levels over 300 are classified as hazardous. In Pakistan, one in 10 deaths in children under the age of five is caused by air pollution (according to http://www.dw.com/en/why-pakistan-has-some-of-the-most-polluted-cities-in-the-world/a-59686579).
Is it a tribute to the political leadership and policy planners or an unavoidable consequence of rapid urbanization and industrialization?
Probably the former because major industrial nations have managed to control environmental hazards despite urbanization and industrialization.
In countries such as Pakistan, emphasis has been more on construction of all kind and less on its impact. It also reflects the political leadership’s poor vision and its little concern about the effects of reckless expansion with no real measures for containing and managing the fall-out of urbanization and industrial expansion.
Result: Toxic air is killing millions of people, particularly young children, every year in Pakistan and other countries in South Asia. Â
