Qandeel Fatima is a Lecturer of Chemistry at the University of Mianwali.  Alongside her dedication to teaching and research, she remains deeply engaged with Pakistan's socio-political landscape and global dynamics, believing that scientific thinking must inform public policy for meaningful national progress. As a committed aspirant of CSS and PMS, she aims to combine her scientific knowledge with public service.

Pakistan’s struggle against pollution is closely linked to its political landscape, where challenges in governance, industrial lobbying, and institutional fragmentation significantly influence ecological outcomes. This paper explores how political dynamics shape the adoption of emerging chemical innovations such as nanotechnology for heavy metals removal, green chemistry in textiles, and bioremediation techniques in agriculture to reduce pollutant levels. By critically analyzing case studies ranging from Lahore’s smog crisis to Kasur’s tanneries, the present study highlights how electoral agendas, federal-provincial tensions, and corruption can obstruct or facilitate progress. Recommendations underscore the need for institutional reforms, stronger anti-corruption measures, and mobilizing political will to align chemical advancements with Pakistan’s environmental and socio-economic goals.  

Environmental degradation in Pakistan is a scientific and political challenge. The air quality index ranks Pakistan among the world’s worst countries facing a pollution crisis, and the condition is getting more bitter because of weak governance, industrial lobbying, and fragmentation in federal-provincial environmental policies. A gardener from Lahore named Safdar Masiha commented, “The air feels thick, and it is exhausting just to breathe.” Several local start-ups, such as Greener Pakistan, have also contributed to reducing air pollution by developing low-cost and environment-friendly vanadium-based catalysts for brick kilns and succeeded in cutting carbon monoxide emissions by almost 65%. However, its adoption is slow due to insufficient subsidies and higher upfront costs. 

Almost 60% of the population of Pakistan is exposed to unclean drinking water. Industrial effluents rich in heavy metals, such as vanadium, from tanneries in Kasur, agricultural runoff filled with insecticides, especially in Sindh, and emissions from vehicles in Pakistan’s big cities exacerbate ecosystem degradation.

“Green chemistry is not just a mere catchphrase: it is the key to the survival of mankind.”

The implications of Green Chemistry solve several local challenges. For instance, the elimination of chromium discharge and a 40% reduction in water usage at Faisalabad Textile Mills by using microbial cellulases in enzyme-based dyeing techniques (Chatha, 2017). However, the enforcement remains weak despite the National Environmental Quality Standards.

Similarly, a pilot project was started in Lahore to tackle water contamination using nanotechnology. For this, magnetic nanoparticles and nanotubes were developed, which adsorbed 98% of arsenic at a very low cost from groundwater. Meanwhile, scaling challenges faced by this nanotechnology pollution-free project include limited funding and public distrust that hinder its deployment (Dawn, 2022). 

The toxicity of soil is common in Punjab, and its leading cause is the overuse of pesticides. 70% of national pesticides are used in Cotton farms in Punjab. In order to restore agricultural lands, bioremediation is employed where a fungus, Aspergillus niger, was used to degrade the most harmful endosulfan residues in field trials by 90%. This technique has been employed in Multan, where absorption of cancer-causing heavy metals, cadmium and lead, is brought about by sunflower-based phytoremediation (Ali, 2013).

This article explores how the intersection of political structures and power dynamics with chemical innovations is shaping the implementation and efficacy of these innovations in mitigating pollutants. To reduce the levels of pollutants in Pakistan, chemical innovations are being tailored with a strong emphasis on cost-effective, flexible strategies for an economically weak nation.

The pollution crisis in........

© Paradigm Shift