RESEARCH PROBLEM ON SMOG HAZARD IN LAHORE

SUBMITTED BY

AHSAN IQBAL (MS SCHOLAR)

1002-MSGEO-21

SUBMITTED TO

DR. SHAKEEL MAHMOOD

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UNIVERSITY

LAHORE
Research Problem

Smog is a mixture of many pollutants, chiefly particulate matter (mostly PM2.5), but
also sulfur dioxide (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), ozone (O3), peroxylacyl nitrates (PAN) and aldehydes. Each component
is harmful to humans, plants, animals, and the natural environment, especially in high
concentrations (Molina et al., 2017). Various human health effects (asthma, diabetes, headache,
and others) aroused from smog events. Smog is a global issue that poses a serious threat on
human life directly. As human populations increase, cities have rushed to keep up with different
industries increasing and roads overloaded with traffic (Yasmeen et al., 2019). A rise in smog
in one city or region results in presence of smog pollution in other cities or regions. Like many
other developing countries, several emissions sources (such as automobile exhaust gases,
industrial sector pollutants, disposal, use, and burning of solid waste, and agriculture activities)
detrimentally affect the air quality in Pakistan. Over the last two decades, the usage of
motorcars, scooters, and motorcycles has increased with the increase in population, and the
more than 10 million vehicles used by Pakistan’s population make a significant contribution to
air pollution (Rasheed et al., 2015). Smog appears in Lahore in winter season, when fog
particles mixed up with smoke particles. Air pollution has been one of the Pakistan’s main
environmental concerns in recent years. The situation has been worsening in Lahore, the
provincial capital. Lahore has a 4% annual economic growth rate and is the second-largest city
in the country (Riaz and Hamid, 2018). In the latest air quality index (AQI) rankings of the
most polluted cities in the world, Lahore ranked the sixth, while Karachi, the largest city in
Pakistan, was the 16th with their AQI values of 170 and 155, respectively (Shah et al., 2012).
Smog, being hazardous to health, is leading to a rapid sprout in multiple health-related
problems, as well as raising concerns about the long-term deleterious effects on public health.
The current situation is expected to worsen due to the lack of an active action plan from the
government's side and a failure of concerned authorities to take note of the urgency of the
situation (Ali et al., 2015). Lahore ranks one of the top most polluted cities in terms of air
quality all over the world mainly reasoned by the smog. Lahore as a metropolitan city, has a
continuous development and growth in terms of infrastructure and population respectively,
mainly due to high influx from other cities. The increasing urbanization in Lahore is a major
factor of increasing smog in the city (Stone et al., 2010). The boosting population of this region
is alarming as it impacts more and more people in a negative manner and hampering the health
condition. Anthropogenic activities have been increased due to proliferating population like
burgeoned vehicular movement, increased industrialization, more congestion, etc. These
anthropogenic activities has long-term impact on the air quality of Lahore and causing more
chances of smog in months of winter (Riaz and Hamid, 2018).

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