Lockdowns not a solution to combat worsening smog

By Sabahat Rafique

With smog season upon us, the Punjab government has resorted yet again to a predictable but inadequate response: lockdowns. Schools are shuttered, parks closed, markets restricted to limited hours and citizens instructed to stay indoors, as if confining us to our homes can somehow clean the air we breathe. This reactive measure isn’t a solution; it’s a stark admission of policy failure. Lockdowns aren’t about public safety — they’re a cover for inaction, a way of sidestepping the real, urgent work that pollution control demands.

For children, these lockdowns have especially damaging consequences. School is not merely an academic space; it’s a critical environment where children develop social skills, stability, and self-confidence. Unplanned closures disrupt this foundation, leaving children not only academically behind but socially isolated. The reality is harsher for those from less-privileged backgrounds, where remote learning options are scarce or non-existent.

In Punjab, students are already confined to a school calendar of roughly 120 days, far shorter than in many other regions. Every single day of learning matters, yet these lockdowns have deprived children of the educational consistency they need to succeed. Education is meant to be a bridge to opportunity and a pathway out of poverty. Instead, our children are left to pay the price for a crisis they had no part in creating.

The impact of these lockdowns extends far beyond schools. Access to parks, public spaces, and historical sites—some of the few green and cultural areas in Punjab’s cities—is cut off each time a smog lockdown goes into effect. Parks provide a sanctuary from urban congestion and pollution, offering residents spaces for recreation and well-being.

Historic sites, too, are more than just buildings; they are pillars of our shared heritage and identity. By restricting access to these places, the government deprives the public of the few accessible escapes in an environment otherwise consumed by concrete and exhaust.

These lockdowns reflect a troubling mindset—a policing mentality where the government treats citizens as problems to be managed rather than a public to be served. Rather than pursue the complex but necessary work of tackling smog at its source — through strict emission controls, vehicle regulations, investment in cleaner energy, and curbing crop-burning practices — the government has defaulted to the simpler, but ineffective, act of restricting people’s movements. This heavy-handed approach is a temporary, authoritarian response that shifts the burden onto citizens while leaving emissions from industry and unchecked pollutants untouched.

True change demands proactive leadership and accountability, with strict enforcement of regulations and transparency from all levels, from industry to policy makers. Until Punjab’s leaders commit to real, long-term solutions, these lockdowns will continue to fail us all. They are not a means of protection; they are a sign that the government is choosing the path of least resistance over the health, freedom, and future of its people.