Lahore lacks real-time air quality monitoring system, report reveals

Punjab’s environmental authorities are ramping up efforts to reduce air pollution, yet they lack the infrastructure for real-time air quality monitoring in Lahore.

According to Punjab’s Environment Protection Department (EPD), only three official air quality monitors are operational in the city, while private air quality data often shows inconsistencies.

Lahore’s air pollution has reached unprecedented levels this season. On Saturday and Sunday, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) surged to 1,800, placing Lahore as the world’s most polluted city.

Experts say accurate data is essential to combat pollution and smog, but they caution that EPD’s reliance on limited and potentially unreliable data is hindering effective intervention.

The EPD’s current AQI data comes from just three monitors: one owned by the US Consulate, another by Punjab University, and a third at Town Hall, the sole EPD-owned monitor.

Further complicating the picture, EPD’s mobile AQI monitoring van is out of order, and data from the department’s in-office monitor is unavailable to the public.

An investigation by Express News revealed that Lahore hosts a total of 17 AQI monitors, only three of which belong to government entities, with the remaining 14 operated by private institutions.

Most of these private monitors are neither government-certified nor installed according to official protocols, often resulting in inaccurate data.

Director-General of Punjab’s Environment Protection Department Imran Hamid Sheikh acknowledged the issue, stating that “EPD only has three air quality monitors in Lahore, with plans to install five more.” He added, “Most private monitors provide unreliable data, yet some foreign companies use this data on their websites.”

Sheikh disclosed that a committee has been formed to assess the accuracy and placement of private monitors across Lahore.