Pakistan: Air pollution significantly affecting people's life expectancy

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 29 : In addition to the current socio-political, economic, and security concerns, people in Pakistan continue to face threats from climate-related issues, including air pollution, Geo News cited a report as saying.
According to a yearly assessment by the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) at the University of Chicago, Pakistan's citizens' life expectancy is severely impacted by the detrimental impacts of the country's increasing air pollution.
The study claims that Pakistanis are subjected to particulate pollution levels that are 22.3 per cent greater than those that existed at the beginning of the century as their country is located in South Asia, the most polluted region in the world.
If Pakistan is able to reach its own PM2.5 level, people's life expectancy might increase by 2.3 years because almost all of its population breathes air that isn't up to the 15 ug/m3 norm, reveals the report.
"In Pakistan, where the PM2.5 concentration was 38.9 ug/m3 in 2022--10 per cent lower compared to the particulate levels in 2021, the average resident would gain 3.3 years from meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline," read the AQLI 2024 annual update, according to Geo News.
"Those in Peshawar, the most polluted city in the country, would gain 5.6 years," it added.
The number of vehicles in the country have increased by about four times since the early 2000s, and the amount of fossil fuel used to generate electricity has also significantly increased, according to the AQLI, which elaborated on the rise in factors causing air pollution.
Meanwhile, Swiss air quality technology company, IQAir currently ranks Karachi as the third city with the worst air quality index in the world.
This comes as various parts of Pakistan face severe smog amid worsening pollution levels.
AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI rating between 201-300 is more harmful and AQI over 300 has been extremely hazardous.