Mothers Out Front For Climate Action in Pakistan
Lahore, the second most populous city of Pakistan, has often been cited amongst the most polluted cities in the world. This year, however, the city progressed to alternate between the first and second positions on Air Visual’s Air Quality Index (AQI). The value of the index crossed 500 in some areas, indicating hazardous levels of air pollution and necessitating for outdoor activities to be avoided.
While some blamed the deteriorating air quality on the presence of 2000 traditional brick kilns operating in the province of Punjab, others inculpated the farmers involved in the practice of burning crop residue post the seasonal harvest. Still others claimed that the yearly celebration of the Hindu festival by Pakistan’s corrival in the East has exacerbated the already worsening air quality in Lahore.
Stepping out of the rut of such blame game, a support group of mothers called Scaryammi took a proactive approach. Worried about the health hazards being posed by the increasing levels of smog, they began advocating for immediate action to be taken by the provincial government and the school authorities.
The founder of the support group, Ayesha Nasir, stated that “Smog is no longer an inconvenience — it is life threatening. Every school and every mother want what is best for the children. Currently, we are in a state of emergency and that is why we are striving to have the government take short-term and long-term measures (…) we have requested the schools to ensure that the students wear masks at all times for we believe that the children’s lives are more important than their education.”
As a consequence of the advocacy campaign led by the super moms, the Education Minister of Punjab ordered all schools to be closed for two days. In addition, pre-scheduled school trips were called off. The mothers have now started pooling in money to have air purifiers installed in the schools. They are also advocating for Aloe Vera and snake plants to be placed in the classrooms.
Indeed, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step in the right direction. The onus is now on the government to ensure that sufficient monitoring devices are placed throughout the city and that the environmental policy is implemented to the letter.
