Punjab installs modern air quality monitors to tackle smog

A total of 30 air quality monitors have been installed in Lahore and other cities with high pollution levels.

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To monitor air pollution levels, advanced air quality monitors have been installed in several cities across Punjab.

Under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, significant progress has been made in establishing a modern air quality monitoring system as part of the province's digital revolution, Express News reported.

As a result, 30 air quality monitors have been installed in Lahore and other cities with high pollution levels.

In the second phase of the project, an additional 25 monitors will be installed. With this recent development, Lahore now has eight monitors tracking air pollution.

According to Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, new monitors have been installed at THQ Kahna, Jiya Bhaga Police Station, Shahdara Teaching Hospital, Punjab University, and the Wildlife Park in Raiwind. Additionally, monitors at Barqi Road, PKLI, and UET have also begun operating.

In her statement, Maryam Aurangzeb shared that one monitor each will be installed in Faisalabad and Sheikhupura, three in Rawalpindi, two each in Multan and Gujranwala, one in Sialkot, and two in Bahawalpur. Similarly, two monitors in Sargodha and one in Dera Ghazi Khan will also begin operating by the end of this month.

She stated that all monitors have been linked to the central control room of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the first Chief Minister of Punjab to introduce this revolutionary digital system aimed at protecting human life.

This system will enable continuous monitoring of air quality, representing a step towards a permanent solution.

According to Maryam Aurangzeb, this advanced digital system will also be integrated with the global AQI (Air Quality Index) information network. Data will be made accessible to the public and researchers alike, fostering a culture of transparency rather than concealing information.

The establishment of this modern system will assist in the timely detection and prevention of air pollution, as well as provide accurate data.

Moreover, the Punjab police registered 18 cases and arrested 12 people over violating the anti-smog laws across the province on Sunday.

According to a police spokesman, 362 people were fined more than Rs550,000 and 29 people were issued warnings.

The police received seven complaints about crop residue burning, 266 about vehicles emitting excessive smoke and two about brick kilns using old technology.

Around 4,865 vehicles emitting excessive smoke were challaned, 445 were impounded and fitness certificates of two were suspended. Meanwhile, 52 shops were sealed in the provincial capital for violating the operating hours imposed to combat smog.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza urged the citizens to take precautions during the ongoing smog season, avoid unnecessary travel, wear masks and protect vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and those with health issues from air pollution.