Need for an Eco-Friendly Transport System

 

By Arfa Zaheer Azmat

For the past decade or so, Pakistan has been experiencing smoggy, hazy and grey winters, especially in the Punjab region. Those bright, warm, sunny afternoons and the fresh, crisp morning air seem like a vision from the past. The winters are now cooler and drier than before. Last year Pakistan experienced one of the coldest winters in 30 years. Apparently, rapid increase in population and the urge for development have been the primary cause for this change subsequently deteriorating air quality.

In November this year, Lahore the cultural capital of Punjab, topped the IQ Air Quality index (AQI) for the most polluted cities of world. According to the index, Lahore presented a particulate matter (PM) rating of 423 whereas, New Delhi came in second with a PM of 229.

 According to IQ Air a PM level of 50 is considered healthy, while Lahore's AQI was 7 times higher than the recommended level, which is classified as ‘hazardous’. The IQ Air data further shows that not even a single city in Pakistan falls in the acceptable range for air quality. Even Islamabad the green capital, reports a PM of 181, which is higher than the satisfactory AQI standard.

 This is really alarming! But what is more alarming is the fact that, last year Pakistan ranked second on the list of the countries with worst air quality, only behind Bangladesh, yet, our concerned authorities particularly, Ministry for Climate Change (MOCC) seemed somewhat indifferent. Although, they identified the cause of deteriorating air quality as emissions from brick kilns and factories and thus took some quick measures, including curbing emissions from factories, closing down brick kilns, and fining farmers for burning rice stubble in the winter.

 However, there was no check on the massive number of vehicles driving on the roads. Interestingly, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the registered number of vehicles in the country increased by 9.6 per cent in 2018 as the number of vehicles reached to 24 million and is much higher today.

According to environmental experts and the World Health organization (WHO), the primary cause of smog and poor air quality, especially in cities, remains years-long pollution caused mostly by the transport sector and industries, and not just crop burning and brick kilns. The emissions and soot released from vehicles, like unburnt carbon particles and hydrocarbons, remains suspended in the atmosphere, especially in the cold weather to form smog which results in a lowered visibility.

With the increasing trend of urbanization, there is a heavy influx of people towards major cities causing burden on the limited resource capacity.  Moreover, in desire to meet the living standards of the big city people try hard to manage and fit in. Owning a personal vehicle, no matter how old or damaged – is a matter of pride and status. Consequently, we see an increased number of un-tuned vehicles on the roads.

In order to support this increase in traffic, our cities have become more transport friendly than people friendly. Roads have been widened and made signal-free to ease the flow of traffic, while footpaths have been removed to facilitate parking. There is hardly any kind of public transport system in place. 

In a populated city like Lahore, the Metro bus system or the recently launched Orange train at least provide a second choice, but most of the population prefers to commute on their personal transport. The public transport is seemingly left for lower income groups.

The current state of the air quality presents a bleak picture not only for Lahore but for the whole country. There is a dire need to control the vehicular emission by taking strict measures. Cleaner fuel technology or the introduction of electric vehicles may seem like an optimum solution but it will not reduce the number of cars on the road.  The number of vehicles on the road needs to be reduced drastically.

A whole new transport management system needs to be introduced on emergency basis which should focus on i) establishing and encouraging a sound public transport systems at national level, ii) discouraging commute on personal vehicles – or limiting it to three passengers – or to weekends only, iii) all registered vehicles should be tuned and adjusted as a compulsory requirement, iv)  all workplaces/ offices should be encouraged to arrange their own pick and drop service, v) offices and banks should be allowed limited parking space, vi) Parking tickets systems should be introduced in all major shopping and recreational areas etc., vii) the number of motorcycles should be limited, viii) walking streets, footpaths, pedestrian and cycle tracks should be re-introduced.

It may seem like a far-reaching and challenging task, but it is just a matter of the everyday choices we make. Our personal transportation choices have a huge impact on the air we breathe. What we drive and how we drive impacts the environment – we need to take care of our environment.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276738/need-for-an-eco-friendly-transport-system