EPD urges citizens to reduce vehicle use

Secretary says all possible steps are being taken to make the department more active

LAHORE:

The Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) has advised the citizens not to use transport unnecessarily on weekends for reducing smog.

“Even on normal days, the use of vehicles should be kept to a minimum,” EPD Secretary Usman Ali Khan said while issuing an advisory for reducing smog in Lahore and other areas.

He said the orders issued by the Lahore High Court to curb smog were being followed in the letter and spirit. “Administrative decisions have become easier due to the court orders,” observed. Khan.

He said all possible steps were being taken to make the department more active.

The official appealed that the Air Quality Index issued by the department should be used on the media. “AQI parameters given on other websites are different and unreliable,” he claimed.

He said rains could remove the risk of smog. “The campaign against air pollution needs citizens’ cooperation,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2022.