Muhammad Luqman

 Inaugurated in December 2024, Lahore's Smog Tower was a highly anticipated project aimed at reducing air pollution in the city. However, it failed to deliver, drawing massive criticism. The provincial metropolis still ranks among the world’s top five most polluted cities, reports WealthPK.

The Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) launched Pakistan’s first ever anti-smog tower, terming it an effective solution to the city’s worsening air pollution. Capable of filtering 50,000 cubic meters of air per hour and purifying up to 1.2 million cubic meters daily, the tower underwent trial but failed to give the desired results. An experts committee was constituted to find out the reasons for the failure of this much-trumpeted project. In light of the committee’s recommendations, the EPD decided to re-launch the project only after rectifying all the problems.

“The smog tower has not given the required results. So, the experts committee has asked for improvement in its capabilities before making it operational again,” Sajid Bashir, spokesman for the EPD, told WealthPK.  He said the company that installed the tower had been entrusted with the task of removing the faults. Environmentalists usually don’t subscribe to the idea of mitigating air pollution in mega cities like Lahore through purifiers, as such a smog tower’s coverage area is limited, and it may not be effective in reducing the pollution levels across the entire city. In technical terms, the malfunctioning filters or inadequate air suction contributed to the tower's ineffectiveness.

 “It was only a cosmetic step on the part of the Punjab government, just a waste of money and time,“ said Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Pakistan) in an interview with WealthPK. He said a holistic approach was needed to address Lahore's air pollution problem, including reducing emissions from the industrial sources, vehicles, and agricultural activities. He also suggested increased vegetative cover in and around the city by taking steps like growing urban Miyawaki forests.

He said there were flaws in the tower's electrostatic dust collection system, including poor voltage regulation, ineffective electrostatic electrode design, and an inadequate filtration system. “The EPD could have avoided this bitter experience by learning a lesson from New Delhi’s smog towers that failed to yield any positive results despite a big financial investment,” said the WWF-Pakistan director general. He said the anti-smog steps taken by the government were not enough and there was a need to raise public awareness about the air pollution's health impacts.

“Individual actions to reduce emissions can also contribute to improving Lahore's air quality,” Hammad said. However, Syed Naseem-ur-Rehman, an environment consultant, had a different opinion. To him, the criticism of the Punjab government over the project failure was unwarranted. “The establishment of the smog tower in Lahore was the Punjab government’s first ever effort. Let it continue with the project after learning lessons,” he said while talking to WealthPK.

“The smog tower has been a success in Beijing and a failure in New Delhi. We should improve the model and working of the smog tower instead of giving up the initiative,” said Naseem. Lahore has been a victim of severe smog since November 2016. In winters every year, the city melts into a pall of thick smog containing all the toxic gases and particulate matter. Sometimes, the air quality index goes beyond 1200. Environmentalists suggest a long-lasting solution to the problem instead of looking for a quick fix.

Credit: INP-WealthPk