Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz recently announced an intent to write—through the Foreign Office—to her counterpart in Indian Punjab to devise a united approach to tackling smog that sees no borders.
Subsequently, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told media a significant part of the smog poisoning residents of the province was coming from India, warning the wind patterns responsible will persist through the next week. As a stopgap, the provincial government has imposed several restrictions in a bid to reduce homegrown smog and ensure public health: shifting schools up to Grade 12 to online classes; requiring businesses in ‘hotspots’ to have 50% of their staff work-from-home; and making face-masks mandatory.
It is too early to say whether Nawaz’s diplomatic aims will bear any fruit. However, a potential thawing of ties between Pakistan and India, especially amidst the “smog crisis,” is no bad thing. New Delhi and Lahore have been trading places as the most polluted city on the planet for several weeks. South Asia, regionally, is an ecologically sensitive zone prone to natural disasters and climate emergencies. Recent years have recorded a series of flash floods and landslides, with rising temperatures melting glaciers and forming overflowing glacial lakes. Part of the developing world, the region’s strained economies, overpopulation, and poor infrastructure further increase the risk of catastrophic devastation due to climate change-induced disasters.
However, all these plans strive for a long-term solution, offering little respite to citizens suffering today. The measures proposed by the government thus far are clearly lacking and require a rethink. For the short-term, authorities should reach out to climate experts and civil society and devise means through which smog can be curtailed while having a minimal impact on everyday life. Anything less would not only be a disservice to the public, but also be a violation of the Constitution, whose Article 9A entitles every person to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.