Punjab Boosts Environmental Monitoring with 30 Air Quality Stations

LAHORE: The Punjab government has installed 30 air quality stations across the province to combat rising pollution.

These Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) track pollution levels in real-time, enhancing air quality assessment. The Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EP&CCD) launched this initiative in collaboration with the World Bank-funded Punjab Green Development Program (PGDP).

Lahore now has five AQMS and an anti-smog tower to monitor smog levels. Other cities, including Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, and Sialkot, also have monitoring stations.

These stations provide hourly updates on PM2.5, PM10, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3, along with real-time weather conditions. Officials believe this data will help policymakers implement targeted pollution control measures and protect public health.

Previously, the provincial government introduced the Climate Resilient Punjab Vision and Action Plan to address pollution.