The horrors of last year’s air quality still haunt the citizens of Lahore. The air quality reached 1000 AQI in November 2024, so even masks were somewhat ineffective. Where the memories of the so-called “green lockdown” were a delight for educational institutions, it was a nightmare for people running to their daily tasks and jobs. However, since the smog season is on its way, the government of Punjab has rolled out the fleets of cannons of mist: anti-smog guns. These locally operationalized water spraying guns have effectively reduced the air pollution by 70% in Kahna, Lahore. But the real question is: are these spraying cannons of hope or just an illusion of relief?

The dichotomy exists where the media is chanting praises for the government of Punjab for launching anti-smog guns in various areas of Lahore, a prodigious response to last year’s trauma. Yet, on Tuesday, 21st October 2025, Lahore was declared the second most polluted city in the world. The problem is not just the hazardous air quality levels, but also our negligence and rhetorical action towards the fight against air pollution.

Anti-smog guns are designed on the principle of wet scavenging (also known as precipitation scavenging) of airborne particles. Each water gun is attached to a water tank using 16,000 liters of water and is carried around on a vehicle. Water droplets with a diameter of 5-10 µm are sprayed into the air using high-pressure fans or pumps up to 100m in height, colliding with particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in the air, making them heavier and settling onto the ground, reducing the........

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