Despite the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government claiming that the introduction of the BRT service has lowered air pollution levels in the province, the growing number of private vehicles on roads has led the provincial capital, Peshawar to emerge as the third most polluted city in Pakistan and the ninth most polluted city in the world. Thanks to the immutable air pollution, locals in K-P have started developing a wide range of respiratory ailments as they gasp for air in the season of suffocation.
According to the Seventh Population and Housing Census 2023, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s population has reached 40.85 million, with the average annual growth rate touching 2.38 per cent. Similarly, data obtained from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Excise and Transport Department revealed that during the past two years there has been a 10.2 per cent increase in the number of vehicles, with 2,326,251 vehicles registered in 2023 out of which 1,452,656 were motorcycles and scooters, 186,017 were motor cars and jeeps, 52,585 were tractors, buses and minibuses and 46,395 were wagons alongside 343,460 other vehicles. Among all the cities in the province, Peshawar was on top with a total number of 995,326 vehicles plying its roads.
“The rising number of vehicles, including over 50,000 unregistered rickshaws, occupying roads in Peshawar is concerning. These vehicles contribute to smog, which has significantly impacted human health,” said Dr Hizbullah Khan, Assistant Professor at the University of Peshawar.
According to a study conducted by the Peshawar Air Alliance, the transport sector has emerged as a major source of pollution. From 2012 to 2020, the number of registered vehicles increased by 85 per cent resulting in vehicle emissions contributing to 58.64 per cent of air pollution. Furthermore, the concentration of Inhalable Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in Peshawar ranges between 61.40-80.09 micrograms per cubic metre, exceeding the current national and provincial standard by 4-5 times and the WHO’s air quality guidelines by 12 to 16 times.
