In October 2024, Lahore in Pakistan’s Punjab Province recorded the second-highest alarming air quality index (AQI) 201. This level falls under the ‘very unhealthy’ category, exceeding the recommended safe AQI below 50. In response, local authorities and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) ordered a three-month compulsory leave for students in Lahore’s Schools of Special Education diagnosed with medical conditions that could be triggered by poor air quality.
This is not the first time smog has been declared a calamity in Pakistan’s Punjab. In November 2023, Lahore recorded an alarming AQI of 439. The level of AQI is not persistent; however, it fluctuates with the weather conditions between moderate and unhealthy parameters. The Punjab Directorate General Public Relations issued a press statement that required students at all private and public schools to wear masks for one month as a smog emergency was declared throughout the province.
According to Pakistan’s 2023 National Population Census, the country’s population then was 241.5 million. To serve this population, the country has a road network of over 500,000 km that relies heavily on fossil fuels for transportation. Like many other countries, an efficient transport sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, supporting the country’s three main sectors: agriculture, industry and services.
The Environment Protection Department of Pakistan’s Government of Punjab has identified vehicle exhaust emissions as the main source of harmful pollutants and the debilitating state of air pollution in Punjab Province. This is due to the lack of regulations for vehicle retirement age and the effective implementation and monitoring of cleaner vehicle policies. Other sources contributing to the poor state of air quality include burning crop residues and factory emissions.
In 2021, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Community of Evaluators Pakistan conducted a study that led to the revision of Pakistan’s Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997. Promoting Automotive Fuel Efficiency in Pakistan highlighted the effects of vehicular emissions on the environment and suggested ways to improve vehicle standards for climate and air quality benefits.
Before the study, Pakistan had no regulatory framework to regulate vehicle efficiency, determine the operational age of vehicles, thus their retirement age, and scrap end-of-life vehicles. This resulted in vehicles on the road having excessive CO2 emissions and incompatible with the existing vehicle emissions standards.
UNEP, together with the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI), Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), and the Environmental Protection Department of Pakistan’s Government of Punjab, reviewed the 1997 act to make necessary amendments to reduce smog and vehicle emissions.
Some of the rules in the revised act - Punjab Environmental Protection Act 2023 include prohibiting substandard fuels and entirely banning smoke-emitting vehicles. Violation of these rules may result in the immediate closure of business with fines up to US$3,500.
Pakistan’s Punjab Environmental Protection Act 2023 aims to implement rules to mitigate and prevent air pollution in Punjab province. It outlines standard operating requirements and imposes restrictions on vehicle emissions, burning solid waste and crop residues, and operating plants that convert tires, and waste such as plastics into products. The Act authorizes the Director General of the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency and its officers to inspect sites and ensure compliance. It also provides administrative penalties for non-compliance or violation of the rules.
As a result, the Regional Transport Authority has formed two special squads to take strict action against vehicles emitting smoke to control smog. These squads will take action against vehicles emitting smoke and plying on the roads without fitness certificates. They will monitor various highways and take legal action against vehicles violating the rules by confiscating their documents and impounding the motor vehicles in case the exhaust emissions are beyond the approved limits.
In addition, the Chief Minister and the Government of Punjab started a phased scheme to provide electric motorcycles to students. The e-motorcycles will replace petrol-powered bikes to promote a cleaner environment, reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for transport, and address air pollution in the province. Over 8,000 e-motorcycles were distributed in the first phase, while phase II aims to roll out 100,000 e-motorcycles. Additionally, 50 locations in the province have been identified for electric vehicle charging stations.
Environmental protection development will improve the progress of the country’s climate commitments and the living environment of the cities in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.
The UNEP Clean Fuels and Vehicles Programme works with public and private entities to support the transition to low-carbon road transport. To achieve this, the programme advocates for vehicle emission standards and promotes the adoption of cleaner technologies. This effort aims to address rising air pollution, tackle climate change and enhance road safety. The programme’s Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), a successful 19-year campaign, led to the global elimination of automotive leaded petrol.
