Karachi’s air pollution crisis looms as watchdogs appear rudderless — Part 4

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Private sector experts call for clean-air investment as SEPA vows renewed monitoring and transparency

By Mukhtar Alam

KARACHI: With Karachi’s air quality deteriorating sharply, experts and officials alike are urging coordinated action, reliable data, and lasting investment in clean-air measures. They caution that pollution can no longer be treated solely as an environmental problem — it has grown into a major public health and economic threat for the city.

Echoing the growing alarm among environmental professionals, M Jibran Khalid Kidwai, Chief Executive Officer of Management Environmental and Social Solutions Ltd., describes Karachi’s air-quality crisis as “extremely urgent.” He warns that particulate matter levels have repeatedly crossed hazardous thresholds in recent years, placing Pakistan among the countries with the highest urban pollution burdens. “As the nation’s largest economic hub, Karachi not only suffers from this exposure but also amplifies its national impact,” he says.

He believes the solution cannot come through fragmented efforts. “No single lever will fix this,” he stresses. “Cities that have successfully improved air quality rely on a combined strategy — clear policy, emission-standard enforcement, technology investments, and public engagement. Integrated planning that aligns regulation, finance, and outreach delivers results faster than isolated measures.”

Central to any such effort, he adds, is a credible, real-time monitoring system to track pollution levels and guide decisions. While a fully comprehensive network remains costly, Karachi could adopt a hybrid approach — a few high-quality reference stations at key industrial, residential, and traffic sites; calibrated, low-cost sensor grids to extend coverage; and satellite data or modelling to fill remaining gaps. “This layered model provides near-real-time information while keeping costs manageable,” he explains.

M Jibran Khalid Kidwai

Recalling the short-lived JICA-supported monitoring stations, he points out that technology alone doesn’t sustain itself. “Weak ownership, limited technical capacity, and the absence of open data policies undermined their continuity.” Future projects, he emphasises, must be “locally owned, technically supported, and publicly accountable.”

Kidwai, also an environmental and sustainability specialist, calls for transparent, accessible data sharing through dashboards, health advisories, and regular policy briefs. “Data should flow to citizens and decision-makers alike,” he says, adding that civil society, researchers, and the media can amplify public understanding and accountability.

For him, clean air is both a public health necessity and an economic priority. “Cleaner air reduces disease burden, boosts productivity, and strengthens Karachi’s resilience,” he concludes. “It’s not just an environmental issue — it’s a foundation for the city’s sustainable future.”

Waqar Hussain Phulpoto

Policy response and institutional commitment

Representing the government’s perspective, Waqar Hussain Phulpoto, Director General of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), acknowledges that Karachi’s air quality is “a priority challenge” for the provincial authorities. “As a bustling metropolis, the city faces complex environmental pressures that demand sustained attention,” he says. SEPA, he adds, is “actively engaged in assessing and prioritising measures to enhance environmental health in line with sustainable development goals.”

Phulpoto agrees that a multifaceted strategy — combining policy reform, enforcement, technology, and public engagement — is essential for improvement. “No single measure can resolve an issue as wide-ranging as air pollution,” he notes. “We are exploring synergies across frameworks, enforcement mechanisms, technological advancements, and community involvement to foster a cleaner Karachi.”

Central to this effort, he says, is upgrading Karachi’s monitoring capacity. While acknowledging current gaps in real-time data coverage, Phulpoto stresses that SEPA is working diligently to strengthen its infrastructure and is exploring partnerships to expand data collection and analysis. “Credible monitoring is the backbone of informed decision-making,” he remarks.

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On the question of the JICA-supported air monitoring stations — now reportedly non-functional — Phulpoto calls them “a valuable initiative that contributed important baseline data.” He confirms that SEPA is reviewing the status of these stations and is “committed to revitalising systems through strategic planning and resource allocation, ensuring alignment with present needs.”

He also emphasises transparency and access to information as priorities moving forward. “Data dissemination is critical for both policy and public confidence,” he says, adding that SEPA is “exploring modern platforms to make environmental information more accessible and timely.”

Identifying industrial activity, vehicular emissions, and rapid urban development as key pollution drivers, Phulpoto maintains that addressing deteriorating air quality is no longer optional. “Protecting public health and promoting sustainability are core to SEPA’s mission,” he concludes. “Our goal is to ensure Karachi grows as a healthy, resilient, and sustainable urban centre.”

This is Part 4 (last) of our series on Karachi’s worsening air pollution crisis, originally published in the weekly Social Track, Karachi.