In a notable shift from last year, the Pakistan Muslim League-N government in Punjab, led by Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz, appears to be taking the issue of smog seriously, making concentrated efforts to address it. Lahore is already being shrouded by a thin layer of highly toxic smog, which will only thicken as more smoke and burnt particles accumulate in the atmosphere, eventually forming a dense, hazardous blanket of pollutants. This makes breathing Lahore’s air extremely unhealthy, with the city—and other urban areas in northern Punjab, including parts of Indian Punjab—often ranking among the worst in terms of air quality and pollution.
While the long-term measures under the Punjab government’s new initiative, such as eliminating crop stubble burning, phasing out unroadworthy vehicles with high emissions, and regulating factories and brick kilns to stagger their emissions, will take time to show results, it is encouraging to see immediate solutions being implemented. One such measure is the use of cloud seeding and artificial rainfall technology to temporarily clear the smog before it worsens.
Though cloud seeding is expensive, costing around 7 to 10 million rupees per operation, it offers an immediate benefit while the longer-term strategies are being rolled out. It is hoped that this initiative will not be a one-off effort, and that the Punjab government will continue to employ cloud seeding and other technologies to mitigate the impact of smog on Lahore and other parts of Punjab.