Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that Punjab has established a science-based system of round-the-clock monitoring, data analysis, early warning, and enforcement to combat smog, resulting in a 23 to 64 percent improvement in air quality indicators across various areas of the province. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Climate Watch in Lahore, she said that under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif the government had introduced an integrated mechanism that combines modern technology, scientific research, digital monitoring, legislation, and strict enforcement. According to her, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Lahore, which reached 2,400 in November 2024, is currently below 450 and has remained below 340 during November so far. She said Punjab Climate Watch monitors weather conditions, temperature, wind speed and direction, and air quality around the clock, with special monitoring during the three peak hours of smog, while a Climate Observatory is being established at the National Science and Technology Park to provide reliable data on climate change and air pollution.
On enforcement, the senior minister said that ten enforcement squads are operating across different sectors of Punjab and that Emission Control Systems (ECS) have been installed at more than 9,000 industrial units, which are monitored digitally. The government is providing subsidised loans to chimney-based industries to install modern pollution control systems, and factories that violate emission control requirements are being closed. She said that more than 14,000 brick kilns have been shifted to QR coding and zigzag technology, pyrolysis plants in the residential areas of Lahore have been eliminated, and 60 Industrial Air Quality Monitors have been installed along with smog guns and cameras on industrial chimneys. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Force, Climate Watch, and Quick Response Teams monitor the situation continuously, and the teams respond to reported incidents of crop residue burning within approximately 15 minutes.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the government has provided 10,045 Super Seeders to farmers at a 60 percent subsidy to discourage crop residue burning and to promote its conversion into useful biomass. As a result, incidents of crop residue burning declined by 39 percent, while fire anomalies around Lahore decreased by 85 percent, she said, adding that the number of Super Seeders will be increased gradually to between 20,000 and 30,000. She added that around 600,000 vehicles obtained fitness certification for the first time in Punjab and that measures to control vehicular emissions are part of an integrated strategy covering transport, industry, and agriculture. On public health, she said that outpatient department (OPD) visits for five respiratory-related ailments, including lung diseases, asthma, and chest and throat infections, declined by 69 percent, while patient numbers at the secondary healthcare level decreased by 21 percent.
The senior minister said that smog is a scientific, environmental, and public health challenge that should not be politicised, since its causes extend beyond provincial and national boundaries. She said that regional and cross-border pollution also affects the air quality of Lahore, noting a sudden rise in AQI near Wagah on Diwali, and that low temperatures, reduced sunlight, slower winds, and polluted air from the eastern direction contribute to the accumulation of pollutants. She cautioned that without strict control of local sources the AQI could rise to extremely high levels, and she clarified that fog and smog are separate phenomena, with fog developing on motorways until about November 15. A ten-year Punjab Smog-Less Action Plan has been prepared, she said, and its implementation is under way, with measures planned throughout the year instead of for a few months only. Referring to international experience, she said Beijing made continuous efforts for 25 years and London for 20 years to control air pollution, which shows that eliminating smog is a long-term process requiring consistent policies, modern technology, effective enforcement, and public cooperation.
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