ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Alliance News): Pakistan faces an unprecedented environmental disaster, ranking among the most polluted nations globally, with cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, and Peshawar experiencing hazardous air quality levels that pose severe health risks.
Recent data places Pakistan among the top three most polluted countries, with its Air Quality Index (AQI) surpassing 300, far beyond the World Health Organization’s safe standards.
Despite recurring smog crises, authorities have failed to take effective measures, relying instead on temporary school closures rather than addressing the root causes of pollution.
Beyond air pollution, Pakistan also faces a worsening water crisis, particularly in Karachi, where 700 million gallons of untreated sewage flow into the Arabian Sea daily, devastating the marine ecosystem and endangering public health.
Without urgent investment in sewage treatment and drainage systems, waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid will continue to rise.
Pakistan’s environmental debt is estimated at Rs1 billion per day, a financial burden that exceeds its investment in key social sectors.
The crisis is undermining economic productivity, damaging tourism, and threatening long-term development.
To address this growing emergency, experts recommend that the government declare an Environmental Emergency, enforce strict emissions standards, invest in green energy, establish sewage treatment plants, and strengthen environmental laws.
Expanding afforestation projects like Karachi’s Clifton Urban Forest could also help combat pollution.
With environmental deterioration accelerating, urgent action is needed to prevent irreversible damage. Clean air and water are essential for Pakistan’s future, and the time to act is now.
