PAKISTAN’S air quality crisis is visible in the winter smog that descends on its cities. The scale of the problem has been quantified in the IQAir’s 2025 World Air Quality Report which has ranked Pakistan as the most polluted country in the world. The country has an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 67.3 micrograms per cubic metre, more than 13 times the WHO’s recommended limit. Even the capital fares poorly: Islamabad’s annual average of 48.1 µg/m³ places it among the most polluted capitals globally. Drawing on air quality measurements from 9,446 cities across 143 countries, the report finds that clean air remains out of reach for most of the world. Only 13 countries met the WHO’s annual PM2.5 guideline, while just 14pc of cities worldwide recorded pollution levels within the safe limit. PM2.5 — microscopic particles produced by vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, power plants and agricultural burning — is dangerous because it penetrates the lungs and bloodstream, contributing to respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease and premature death.

In Pakistan, the crisis is not new. Each winter, cities across Punjab and beyond are engulfed in smog severe enough to shut schools and overwhelm hospitals. Yet the problem cannot be dismissed as a seasonal anomaly. The underlying drivers — outdated vehicle fleets, coal-based industry, construction dust, brick kilns and unchecked urbanisation — operate year-round. The report recommends action that governments should take to remedy the situation. These include aligning national standards with WHO air quality guidelines, investing in renewable energy, expanding clean public transport, enforcing stricter emission limits for vehicles and industry, banning agricultural and biomass burning and expanding air quality monitoring networks. For Pakistan, these recommendations should be national priorities. Vehicle emission standards must be enforced rigorously, and the transition to cleaner brick kiln technology accelerated across provinces. Industrial pollution controls require genuine oversight rather than intermittent crackdowns. The country must also expand its network of monitoring stations so that reliable pollution data is publicly available and can guide policy. Equally crucial is regional cooperation. Much of the smog affecting north Pakistan is linked to cross-border agricultural burning, underscoring the need for coordinated mitigation efforts with neighbouring states. Unless policymakers commit to sustained reform, millions will continue to pay with their health.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2026

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