Dense smog in lahore. (File Photo: Reuters)
Written by Adya Madhavan
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab, recently called for joint efforts with India to combat growing pollution and smog in the region. Sharif’s bid to deal with environmental issues in a Subcontinental manner is more a matter of urgency than both states seem to believe. This is not to say that efforts haven’t been made to mitigate the implications of climate change and tackle some of these problems, but the major roadblock is that these are, by and large, transboundary issues. To effectively combat them, the measures taken need to transcend borders that have been quite arbitrarily drawn as far as the environment is concerned. The days when environmental issues were merely projections about the future are long gone. Today, they take on a much more tangible form and impact the lives of millions. India and Pakistan share many issues, courtesy of their similar terrain, shared water sources and common airshed.
At this time of year especially, with both the burning of crops and festivals, air pollution tends to be at an all-time high. Six major airsheds span multiple of India and Pakistan’s cities, and following wind patterns, pollutants are blown across borders. Large cities such as Delhi and Lahore fall within these airsheds and are impacted by the increase in pollutants within other regions. Pollutants such as PM 2.5 and PM 10 are responsible for causing and exacerbating respiratory issues, and in addition to burdening healthcare systems, this also translates to economic losses. The Indian economy lost $37 billion to just pollution-related illnesses and deaths. Similarly, Pakistan’s Punjab region, behind many of its outputs, sees flights delayed and educational institutions shut yearly due to pollution and smog. On average, citizens in Lahore reportedly lose a whopping five years of their lifespan to air pollution.
Similarly, long and pervasive spells of intense heat also bring with them a host of health issues. Formerly green spaces are now filled with heat-radiating impervious surfaces, as India and Pakistan’s cities have undergone rapid urbanisation. Urban heat is usually viewed as a local issue, but urban heat islands impact urban landscapes and surrounding rural areas. Many of India and Pakistan’s cities are poorly equipped to beat the heat, and those with access to cooling systems only add to the heat by increasing demands for energy. While India’s and Pakistan’s heat waves may not be directly responsible for each other, urban heat islands can have a spillover effect and further exacerbate issues that affect both countries, such as the melting of glaciers.
The melting of glaciers in the Hindu-Kush and Karakoram regions has far-reaching implications. In addition to rising temperatures, this is further compounded by pollutants such as black carbon, which settle on glaciers, causing them to absorb more energy and melt even faster. The transboundary Indus River basin, which spans much of North India and Pakistan, depends on river systems originating in these glaciers for food and water security. The 300 million people in the basin who currently live in this region will be severely impacted if the Hindu Kush region’s glaciers diminish by 80 per cent by the end of the century, as projected. As rivers carry less water, irrigation systems will fall under strain, causing an increased dependency on groundwater systems that are already burdened. The Indus Basin currently accounts for the production of crops that feed a large proportion of the region, including water-intensive crops such as wheat and rice.
This brings us to another problem worsened by the alarming rate at which glaciers are melting — rising sea levels. Currently, global sea levels are rising twice as fast as they were at the end of the last century and are projected to rise even faster. This leaves low-lying areas across the coast along the Arabian Sea vulnerable to storm surges. Those living along the coast have to face the brunt of cyclonic high tides, which threaten their homes and are forced to migrate further inland as sea levels rise. Fishing communities lose their livelihoods due to rising sea levels, and water becomes too salty for consumption or agriculture. The Indus Delta has already lost 12 per cent of its coastline and is at risk of losing even more.
These are merely a few problems of the myriad of issues that India and Pakistan need to combat parallelly. As was the case with frequent locust swarms, both countries will need to work together to mitigate the impact of these issues before life as we know it is transformed irreversibly. While conflicts over territory and historical differences have hindered the betterment of Indo-Pak dynamics thus far, things need to turn around. If there is enough collective action, such as data sharing, joint ventures and a sharing of technology and renewable energy sources to combat environmental issues, there can then be an avenue for a further resolution of decades of mistrust. Working together to tackle climate change will not change the past, but it can help prevent a host of issues for future generations. With improved relations, younger populations who are not burdened by memories of partition can utilise this opened door to expand collaboration to other spheres of life.
The writer is a policy researcher at the Takshashila Institution
