Unplanned urbanisation behind pollution

LAHORE
Rising urban congestion in the provincial capital has increased all kinds of pollution, especially air and water whereas our town planners are busy in turning more city localities in commercial zones.
Unplanned expansion of urban areas, absence of public transport and mass transit services, tremendous increase in the number of privately owned vehicles are resulting in high concentrations of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur oxide, which are seriously affecting the health of general public.
Though various government departments such as Transport, Environment and CDGL initiated several short-term campaigns against smoke-emitting vehicles and two stroke motorcycle rickshaws but they failed to improve the air quality. A little respite was seen to the commuters on signal-free corridor where traffic is running smooth.
Presence of excessive Suspended Particulate Matter (PM10) in the ambient air is also one of the biggest causes of increased air pollution in the city. Major sources of the PM10 in the city are vehicles, industry, burning of solid waste, brick kilns and natural dust. Unpaved roads and absence of greenbelts are the originators of this major pollutant.
Ironically the level of PM10 is far higher in less privileged localities because Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) which is responsible for maintaining greenbelts is only performing its duties with dedication in posh localities and big roads of the city. Sources in Environmental Protection Department (EPD) Punjab revealed that average PM concentration in Lahore had exceeded manifold from the international standards and WHO guidelines. EPD sources claimed that amongst all vehicles running on diesel are putting more impact on the environment.
Scattered solid waste, non-implementation of Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005 and sale of hospital waste to the recycling industry in the city are also the other hot issues, which are contributing to the city’s environmental health. Recently, EPD launched a massive operation against hospital waste but citizens feared that this crackdown may ended like the previous operations during which only notices were issued to the culprits instead of taking strict action against them.
It is worth mentioning that since last many years, the government and city planners made repeated announcements that light and heavy industrial units operating in various residential city localities i.e. Misri Shah, Baghbanpura, Mughalpura, Daroghawala, Bhagatpura, Chah Miran, Shad Bagh and others along the Bund Road and GT Road would be shifted outside these residential areas. But, unfortunately not a single practical step had been taken in this regard. These industries included steel foundries, steel re-rolling mills, brick kilns, steel furnaces, scrapyards, plastic recycling industry, marble grinding, furniture making and several other kinds of cottage industries. These industrial units are causing air pollution, noise, vibration and heat.
Besides these industrial clusters, the regular industrial zones have now been surrounded by residential localities due to which citizens are forced to bear the hazardous effects of pollution caused by industries. Small drives were launched repeatedly against violators but a serious action is still awaited.
As per Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 all industrial units are supposed to obtain NOC from EPD but over 90 percent units, including industrial units operating in the city, did not bother to fulfill this legal formality. The lack of enforcement of rules to discourage polluters has made the EPD a toothless tiger, sources said.
Naseem-ur-Rehman, a senior EPD official said the department had taken a number of steps to bring down the pollution levels. He said tree plantation was the biggest source through which pollution could be brought down. He said the department had already engaged private sector for this activity and a large number of fruit trees would be planted in various city areas very shortly.