Each morning in Lahore, as the city slowly stirs to life, residents reach for their phones—not to check messages, but to check the Air Quality Index (AQI). This ritual, filled with a mix of resignation and anxiety, signals the arrival of “Smog Season 2024,” the worst the city has yet faced. Days with AQI levels exceeding 1,000 have become alarmingly frequent, and are now seen as the new normal. How does one react to such numbers? How does one prepare for a world where even the light streaming in through the windows is tinged brown and grey?
In Lahore—and, as of this year, in Multan too—the air is dangerously polluted. While individuals may have little control over the quality of air they breathe, the reality of toxic air filling the lungs every day leaves residents feeling helpless. The question is no longer just about survival; it’s about how to continue living in a city where basic life-sustaining elements, like clean air, are no longer guaranteed.
On November 5, 2024, commuters in Lahore found themselves traveling through dense smog, as thick as ever, the horizon barely visible. For Aneeqa, a Model Town resident and avid cyclist, this smog season has become an increasingly unbearable part of life. Raised in a city filled with parks, tree-lined roads, and outdoor activities, Aneeqa once thought she could fight the smog and still live life as usual. But on Sunday, November 3, when the AQI soared past 1,900, she realized that the smog was no longer something she could ignore.
“I thought I shouldn’t let smog stop me,” she says. “But after half our route, I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I had to stop cycling. My breathing became so difficult that I was rushed to the hospital with a severe allergic reaction to the pollution.” Despite the beauty of Lahore, and her deep love for the city, Aneeqa, like many others, is realizing that life in this toxic environment is no longer sustainable. The air that once carried the scents of spring and fall now threatens her health with every breath.
**Outdoor Enthusiasts Constrained**
Rukhshan, a long-distance runner and football enthusiast, has also found his ambitions restricted by the smog. Each day, he checks the AQI before going out to train, and anything over 800 is simply out of the question. “I have to run on a treadmill now, which isn’t ideal,” he explains. “I’ve also had to cancel or postpone all the running events I signed up for in the last few weeks. Even football has been impacted—fewer people are stepping outside to play.” Smog has become a barrier not just to recreation, but to the pursuit of passions that once defined many of these individuals’ lives.
**The “Fifth Season” and Its Causes**
The sharp increase in the frequency and intensity of smog has prompted questions about the root causes of this environmental disaster. Dawar Hameed Butt, director of Climate Finance Pakistan, attributes Lahore’s worsening air pollution to two main factors: changing weather patterns and human activity. “The monsoon season is becoming shorter and more unpredictable, partly due to climate change,” Butt explains. “This means there’s less rain to wash away the pollutants, allowing smog to accumulate in the post-monsoon period.” At the same time, rapid population growth and increased industrial activity have driven up emissions, exacerbating the pollution problem.
On top of this, the practice of stubble burning, particularly in early November, adds to the smog, though much of it is also tied to “local sources” like cars, factories, and other forms of urban activity. This convergence of factors has created what some are now calling Lahore’s unofficial “fifth season”—the season of smog that now dominates from October to December.
**Economic Pressures: A Life at Risk**
For many, staying indoors is not an option. The smog’s toll on health is undeniable, but for those who work outside, like Irfan, a caddy at a private golf club, the air is a daily hazard they cannot escape. Irfan, who used to enjoy the cooler mornings in October and November, now faces the brutal reality of working in polluted conditions. “It’s admirable that people play golf in this weather, but they have a choice. If I say I can’t work because the air makes me sick, I’m replaceable.”
Irfan’s club, along with other businesses in Lahore’s “smog hotspots,” has had to shut down for weeks at a time. “If I stay home, I risk not getting paid,” he says. “If I go out, I breathe in toxic air. Either way, I lose.”
The effects of smog are not just personal; they have disrupted public life as well. Festivals, public events, and even routine activities like guided city walks, led by social entrepreneur Ghazi Taimoor, have been cancelled. Taimoor, who runs “Lahore Ka Ravi,” an initiative that explores the city’s heritage through walking tours, says, “Lahore used to shine in September to November, but now the smog has taken away that vitality. We’ve had to cancel so many of our planned walks.”
**Halted Work, Uncertain Pay**
For workers in industries like construction, smog has introduced a new source of economic instability. Amjad, a member of a construction crew working on the outskirts of Lahore, worries more about his income than his health. “Last year, the contractor stopped work because of smog, and we were sent home without pay,” he recalls. “I don’t know anything else. If construction stops, where will I go?” Construction deadlines are still expected to be met, and workers are forced to push their limits, working longer hours in unsafe conditions, often without fair compensation for the additional time.
**Impact on Education and Inequality**
The effects of smog on education are also striking. The government has prioritized closing schools, but the approach has been criticized for being inadequate. Sana, a mother of a five-year-old, points out that while schools are closed, nothing is being done to address the sources of pollution just outside Lahore. “They’ve closed schools, but the factories are still emitting toxins, and farmers are still burning stubble,” she says. The government has attempted to implement “green lockdowns” to reduce exposure, but these have often been a short-term fix, not a solution to the root causes of pollution.
For families like Asiya’s, who work as cleaners and rely on low-cost private schooling, the lockdowns have posed additional challenges. “We leave early in the morning and tell our kids to stay inside,” Asiya explains, “but they’re children. They want to play outside. And not every home has the resources for online schooling.” The inequality in how smog impacts the population is stark: wealthier families can shield their children from the worst effects, while poorer families struggle with the practical realities of keeping their children safe and educated.
**Government’s Reaction: Inadequate and Reactionary**
The government’s efforts to address the smog problem have largely been reactionary, with interventions like school closures and fines for stubble burning. However, experts like Dawar argue that these measures fail to address the root causes of the pollution. “The government has been slow to take meaningful action,” he says. “Their approach has been largely administrative—bans and fines—while the pollutants are already in the air.”
There’s a sharp contrast between Lahore’s approach and that of cities like Beijing, which implemented a zero-tolerance health policy to tackle air pollution. However, Dawar notes that a Beijing-style recovery would be difficult in Lahore due to the lack of political will and resources.
**A Bleak Future**
The smog crisis in Lahore continues to worsen, and with it, the daily reality for residents. What was once a public health concern has now become an economic issue, one that shapes the quality of life for millions of people. Lahoris, caught between rising emissions, changing weather patterns, and ineffective government measures, are now grappling with the consequences of inaction.
The 2024 smog season is a stark reminder that the status quo is no longer enough. The volatility of climate change, coupled with unchecked emissions, threatens to push cities like Lahore into even greater environmental calamities unless decisive action is taken now. The need for change is urgent—and inaction, no longer an option.
- Arslan Athar, a writer based in Lahore, reflects on the profound challenges posed by Lahore’s ongoing air quality crisis.
