PESHAWAR
\nThe ancient city of Peshawar, once known for its fragrant gardens, Gul e Dawoodi and clear blue skies, is now choking under a blanket of air pollution emanating mostly from tsunami of unregistered rickshaws, bricks kilns and marble units.
\nAcross KP, urban and air pollution has emerged as one of the most critical public health and environmental challenges, and Peshawar stands at the epicenter of this environmental problem, exposing people to serious health ailments.
\nFrom the bustling bazaars of Qissa Khwani to the busy intersections of Ashraf, Charsadda and University Roads, residents are breathing air thick with pollutants while the authorities paid a deaf ear to this serious challenge.
\nThe city\u2019s Air Quality Index (AQI) routinely exceeds the safe limits set by the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), while fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels hover several times above the permissible thresholds.
\n\u201cPM2.5 pollution increases age-specific mortality risk. Residents of Peshawar are highly vulnerable due to emissions from unregulated traffic, brick kilns, marble units, and chipboard factories,\u201d explained Professor Dr. Muhammad Salimur Rehman, former Chairman of Environmental Sciences at the University of Peshawar.
\nHe said that PM2.5 particles are microscopic yet deadly penetrating deep into the lungs and bloodstream, contributing to heart disease, asthma, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses.
\n\u201cThe World Health Organization recommends a PM2.5 concentration below 25 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3, but Peshawar\u2019s readings are alarmingly higher,\u201d he warned.
\nStudies reveal that emissions from the transport sector account for nearly 58.5% of Peshawar\u2019s pollution, with roadside dust, domestic burning, and industrial emissions adding to the toxic mix. Smoke and dust hang at heights of just five to ten feet in the city, often visible even on clear mornings.
\n\u201cThe health impacts are severe. We see a sharp rise in cases of asthma, bronchitis, COPD, and even lung cancer,\u201d said Dr. Abdul Aziz, head of the ENT Department at Government Hospital Pabbi, Nowshera.
\n\u201cMost of our patients with respiratory distress come from urban Peshawar,\u201d he added, highlighting the invisible burden of disease linked to air quality.
\nGlobally, air pollution causes about seven million deaths each year, with COPD alone responsible for over 3.2 million.
\nIn Pakistan, COPD-related mortality stands at 138.2 deaths per 100,000 men and 41.3 per 100,000 women a sobering statistic that hits home for many Peshawar families.
\nFor Jamila Bibi, pollution is not just a statistic but it\u2019s a personal tragedy.
\n\u201cChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) deprived me of my loving mother,\u201d she said, her voice breaking. \u201cMy mama, Hussan Zadgai, struggled with breathlessness and coughing before she passed away at Lady Reading Hospital.\u201d
\nJamila now demands that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi take urgent steps to relocate brick kilns and marble factories from Peshawar\u2019s residential zones.
\n\u201cI only want one thing clean air for our children. This pollution is a silent killer,\u201d she said.
\nStanding on the Pir Zakori Sharif bridge, one can see thick black smoke curling up from hundreds of vehicles and factories.
\nThe bulldozing of green belts to make way for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system has further reduced the city\u2019s natural filters.
\nTraffic congestion and unregulated construction have compounded the problem, turning Peshawar\u2019s once-green image into a haze of grey.
\nExperts warned that the environmental challenges is not limited to air. Rivers such as the Kabul and Swat are increasingly polluted by untreated industrial discharge, sewage, and plastic waste threatening aquatic life and human health alike.
\n\u201cPlastic dumping in rivers is killing biodiversity, including Mahseer and trout,\u201d said Dr. Rehman. \u201cThis is an environmental emergency and KP CM may take notice of it.\u201d
\nDespite the grim scenario, authorities insist that efforts are underway to combat air pollution.
\nMusawar Khan, former Adviser to the Chief Minister on Environment and Forests, said the government is implementing the National Clean Air Plan (NCAP), focusing on urban forestry, waste management, and clean energy initiatives.
\n\u201cThe Ghari Chandan forest, with 3.2 million plants, was established on Peshawar\u2019s outskirts to improve air quality,\u201d he said. Other steps include promoting LPG and biofuels, establishing vehicle tune-up stations, and forming environmental squads within the traffic police.
\nHospitals are also being made accountable. Lady Reading Hospital, which generates over 221,000 kilograms of waste annually, now operates its own central incinerator. Similar facilities have been installed at Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital.
\nIn a promising move, the city recently installed its first IoT-based Air Quality Monitoring System at the District Government Office to collect real-time pollution data.
\nCrackdowns have been launched against non-compliant factories, and a ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags is being enforced across major cities.
\nExperts emphasize that urban pollution is not merely an environmental issue rather it\u2019s a direct threat to human survival.
\nWithout collective action from both the government and citizens, they warned that the health and future of generations in KP, especially in Peshawar, remain in grave danger.
\nAs Jamila Bibi watches her children walk to school each morning through the smoggy air, her plea echoes the sentiment of thousands of Peshawarties that \u201cgive us clean air before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR The ancient city of Peshawar, once known for its fragrant gardens, Gul e Dawoodi and clear blue skies, is now choking under a blanket of air pollution emanating mostly from tsunami of unregistered rickshaws, bricks kilns and marble units. Across KP, urban and air pollution has emerged as one of the most critical public […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-510429","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n