LAHORE – The Punjab government has implemented emergency action plan for management of air quality during the ongoing smog season.
The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency has issued advisories to relevant departments to check deterioration in ambient air quality to safeguard public health during the winter season.
The Air Quality has started deteriorating due to temperature inversion, wind speed, wind direction, dryness, emissions from vehicles and industries, dust from under-construction sites which warrants an urgent response from all relevant government departments to curtail this trend of rising AQI.
“To cater for these episodes of the higher air pollution levels in winter, there is a dire need to take immediate, coordinated, and rigorous actions for public safety”, reads an advisory issued to the government departments by the Punjab EPA Director General Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh.
Traffic Police and District Regional Transport Authorities have been directed to impound excessive smoke-emitting and without Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS) certified vehicles. Actively regulate and shift traffic peak hours to manage congestion at identified hotspots.
Metropolitan and Municipal Corporations have been directed to ensure water sprinkling at least twice a day along main roads, construction sites, and highly dust-prone areas to control fugitive dust generation. Take strict and immediate action against violators of municipal laws, particularly those involved in trash/municipal waste burning.
Education Department has been directed to sensitize students and parents to adopt protective measures, including mandatory use of face masks for outdoor activities.
Development Authorities have been directed to ensure all approved construction sites strictly implement environmental conditions to minimize dust and gaseous emissions.
Agriculture Department has been directed to implement zero-tolerance for crop-residue burning incidents. “Deploy surveillance teams for prevention and coordinate with local administration for immediate reporting and action against violators”, the notification reads.
Mines and Minerals Department has been directed to take strict action against transportation of construction material (sand and soil), sludge (desilted material) or demolished material (debris) on uncovered/overloaded vehicles.
