We are back at it again. Winter is my favorite season of all, there is no doubt about it. But this thing always kills me. There is a reason behind it. As I shared on Waves as well that last night we went to play futsol. A good thing, a healthy habit. Yes timing part - 1:00 Am to 4:00 AM - can be discussed. And since that game, I have been ill. Even during the game, I was able to feel the dryness in weather i.e. the smog.
Now for this situation, we are left with two things: stop playing, or just find a new way to play.
But here is the bigger problem. The one which I can control, but I alone? Not a chance.
Over the previous 7 days. Lahore's air pollution was equivalent to smoking 9.9 cigarettes daily according to the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI).
So being an ex-smoker, no matter what I do; I am just puffing in something every time.
This issue is not new, if I recall it right every year, I talk about the same issue. And the thing is: no one is willing to take this matter serious. Theoretically, there is so much work already being done; practicality, they are cutting down forests and replacing with concrete and artificial trees.
Long-Term Planning.
Moreover, this is a kind of solution, and believe me, no viable alternative is available as of now. If we start planting today, only then we will be able to give an upcoming generation somewhat good air to breath in.
The rain.
So after a solution, there is another genuine issue. The rain! Back in time, when I came to Islamabad - capital of Pakistan - every week there used to be rain. Nowadays, it has rain only once since October.
I do not have a really good camera, so just try to believe my words. Whenever it rains, the mountains become clearer and greener, not just mountains but amost everything.
In the above picture, clouds are coming but the wole bunch of dryness is there.
Same day, bit different timing, and reault is different. Dryness is gone. The benefits are there, and the best one is, my throat will not die whenever I try to run.
Maybe, as said earlier, the solution is not to give up on the things we enjoy, but to understand the conditions under which we can continue enjoying them. Playing futsal at 1 AM might not be the healthiest timing, but neither should breathing clean air be considered a luxury. At the individual level, we can: change our schedules, wear appropriate masks when outdoors, check the AQI before heading out and avoid intense outdoor activities when pollution levels are high. But why is the fresh air becoming something out of reach. Like do I have to carry an oxygen tank with me all the time?
However, these are individual adjustments, not actual solutions. We cannot keep asking people to adapt to an environment that is becoming increasingly hostile to their health. At some point, responsibility has to move beyond individuals and reach the people who make decisions about our cities, forests, transport and environment.
But this thing alone bothers me a lot. I, actually we, discuss smog every winter, share statistics, complain about the lack of rain and then move on until the next winter arrives. Meanwhile, trees take years to grow, forests take decades to be forests again and the damage we do today will be inherited by people who have no say in today's decisions.
Till then lemme take pills, and hope for the recovery.
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Peace 馃晩
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Pictures were taken via Infinix Note 50 Pro.