The Punjab government has set up 30 Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) across the province, including Lahore, to track pollution levels in real-time and improve air quality monitoring.
This initiative, launched by the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EP&CCD), is part of the World Bank-supported Punjab Green Development Program (PGDP). The collected data will help in formulating strategies to improve air quality.
To address rising pollution, the government introduced the Climate Resilient Punjab Vision and Action Plan in March last year. The installation of AQMS is a key step in executing this plan.
Lahore now has five mobile air quality monitoring units and eight fixed stations, while other cities such as Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, and Sialkot have also received monitoring stations.
These stations provide hourly data on pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3, along with weather conditions. Officials say this data will help policymakers take targeted actions to reduce pollution and protect public health.
Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb emphasized that these stations will support climate initiatives and help create a cleaner, healthier Punjab.