____ By Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE)
Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) is a women-led organization working to advance gender justice and women’s rights through a feminist lens. Our work is rooted in the belief that crises, whether social, political, or environmental, do not affect everyone equally. Women and girls often carry the heaviest burden, yet their voices remain the least heard.
As winter returns to Punjab, so does the familiar suffocation of smog. In Lahore and surrounding districts, polluted air has once again turned daily life into a public health emergency. In 2025, Lahore repeatedly ranked among the most polluted cities in the world, with Air Quality Index levels reaching hazardous extremes, including readings above 500 in November. WISE views this crisis not merely as an environmental issue, but as one deeply intertwined with gender inequalities, as women and girls bear a disproportionate burden due to societal roles that expose them to higher risks from toxic air. Medical research increasingly links air pollution to serious reproductive health risks, including pregnancy complications, miscarriages, and low birth weight, making smog a direct threat to women’s bodily autonomy and well-being.
Lahore’s air quality has remained dangerously poor for over a decade, driven by vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, crop burning, and winter weather patterns. While 2025 recorded alarming peaks, government data also shows modest improvement, with better air quality on several days compared to previous years. No day has yet met WHO safe limits; however, these incremental improvements suggest that focused interventions can make a difference if sustained and expanded.
In 2025, the Punjab government, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Senior Minister for Environment Marriyum Aurangzeb, demonstrated increased commitment to addressing smog. The Smog Free Punjab initiative introduced multi-sectoral actions, including:
These measures have shown effectiveness in localized areas, with reported reductions in pollution (e.g., up to 70% in targeted zones) and overall AQI improvements. CM Maryam Nawaz’s hands-on monitoring and Minister Aurangzeb’s coordination across nine departments have injected urgency and innovation into the response, setting a regional benchmark.
WISE acknowledges and appreciates these efforts. Leadership by women in key decision-making roles sends a powerful message that environmental governance matters. However, despite these gains, current responses remain largely gender-blind. Policies emphasize enforcement and technology but do not adequately account for how women experience smog differently or more intensely.
WISE calls for a shift from gender-neutral to gender-just climate policies. This requires listening to women, collecting gender-disaggregated health data, and designing responses that reflect women’s lived realities. Smog policy must move beyond pollution control to include care, protection, and dignity.
Despite challenges, 2025 marks progress, improved AQI averages, data-driven governance, and strong leadership from women like CM Maryam Nawaz and Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb signal a turning tide. These achievements offer hope for cleaner air and healthier lives. To make future action more effective and equitable, WISE recommends integrating gender analysis into all smog-related policies, consulting women’s groups at community and policy levels, providing targeted support such as subsidized protective equipment and safe indoor alternatives, and ensuring women’s leadership within environmental task forces.
Clean air is not a privilege. It is a right. For women and girls in Punjab, breathing safely should not be a daily struggle. WISE remains committed to advocating for a future where environmental justice and gender justice advance together, so that the haze does not steal health, dignity, or hope from generations to come.
