Three Pakistani cities are listed among 20 most polluted cities in the world, according to the World Economic Forum. Of the Pakistani cities, Karachi, Peshawar and Rawalpindi are among the 20 most polluted cities in the world, as per the most recent statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) compiled from more than 1,600 cities for the years 2008 to 2013. Karachi ranks number five just ahead of Peshawar and Rawalpindi which stand at six and seven in the list of 20 most polluted cities. The WHO report listed 1,600 cities in 91 countries and ranked them according to the quality of their air which is measured for concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 that is particles smaller than 10 or 2.5 microns which are harmful toxins that can cling to the lungs and cause diseases. Pakistan records the highest level over all of the 91 countries in the WHO air pollution database. Interestingly, 13 of the 20 cities on the list are Indian. Delhi tops the list of the most polluted cities followed by Patna, Gwalior and Raipur. The report is a cause of serious health concerns for the inhabitants of the respective cities as toxic pollution hugely impacts human health and can cause acids rains, heart disease and respiratory problems among others. Despite many Pakistanis touting their country as being the Land of the Pure and there being an obsessive, ubiquitous culture of keeping housecleaning staff who work daily dusting, sweeping and mopping, we are ultimately the land of the impure. In this survey, the impurity was measured by the concentration of disease-causing toxins in the air, with Pakistan maintaining the highest concentration of air toxins in the air pollution database. To combat the debilitating effects of air pollution, we need to create awareness among the public at the grassroots level to instill in it consciousness of the far-reaching impact of pollution; the wadded up piece of paper that one throws out of their car window today could be a potential cause for serious illness for any number of people in the future. Factories and businesses also require awareness so as to change their detrimental policies with regard to waste disposal. In this regard, what is really needed is strict implementation of laws governing industrial and household waste disposal. The government needs to revisit legislation on controlling pollution at all micro and macro levels, with the provision of levying heavy fines on instigators. Pakistan can learn from nations like Japan, where trash and recyclables require categorisation by tenants before collection. Official recycling programmes will prove advantageous to overcoming the pollution problem, which might not be a difficult feat if Pakistan could get all relevant stakeholders on board.
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