PAKISTAN: POLLUTION

Headline

Pakistan looking for dialogue with India over pollution

Intro

Pakistan’s top Climate Change official says steps need to be taken to control high pollution levels in Lahore  .

Story

STORY:  A US $ 280 million World Bank funded project to be implemented in Punjab for advanced air quality monitors was facing a halt despite receiving complete funding, the Special Assistant to Pakistani PM disclosed on Sunday  (November 21).

Malik Amin Aslam, Special Assistant to the Pakistani PM, agreed that pollution in Lahore was very high, but accepted that there was no system in place to ascertain the exact levels of pollution.
“ There is definitely a pollution problem in Lahore, but the question is how or intense the level is?   For that, we need the big machines that give authentic readings, but we do not have those machines. Unfortunately, a project of the World Bank for which we were to receive these machines, has not materialized for some reason, although the money for the machines has arrived , and is lying with the Punjab government. We are trying to ensure that these machines are installed as soon as possible so that we can start getting correct data. It is the World Bank money ; 280 million dollars. Ten machines were to be installed with this  money.  They gave us the money last year but because of certain reasons the project is halted,” he told a news conference in Islamabad.

He said Pakistan has introduced Euro-V quality fuel, Electric Vehicles Policy, over a million Brick Kilns conversion over zigzag technology and dry scrubbers were introduced in the steel furnaces to reduce dark carbon emissions into the atmosphere to curb smog.

Aslam said a dialogue with India on mitigating air pollution was needed to resolve Lahore’s smog, which was mostly being generated due to Indian farmers burning crop stubble.

He said a recent NASA report has indicated 80 percent crop burning hotspots in the Indian Punjab was shifting smoke to Lahore causing smog.

“Whatever we are doing in Pakistan, God willing we will continue to do so, but at the same time we have to ask India to stop this pollution and garbage,” he said.