IT City contractors fined for dust pollution

Air quality hazardous for human health recorded

LAHORE:

The Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) has imposed fines on three contractors working at the under-construction Nawaz Sharif IT City over violations of environmental regulations related to dust control and air quality management.

The action comes amid rising public concern over deteriorating air quality in Lahore, where smog has once again emerged as a major health and governance challenge.

According to correspondence by the EPD, excessive dust was found at multiple locations of the informational technology city construction site.

The department noted that monitoring devices installed near the project had recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 500, a level classified as hazardous for human health. Such readings indicate extremely high concentrations of particulate matter, especially PM2.5 and PM10 of up to the diameter of 10 micrometre, which are known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

The EPD confirmed that three construction companies involved in the project had collectively been fined Rs1.5 million for failing to comply with mandatory environmental safeguards.

The fines must be deposited within three days, the department warned, adding that failure to implement corrective measures could lead to the sealing of the project site.

In a letter addressed to the chief executive officer of the Central Business District (CBD), under whose jurisdiction the IT City project falls, the EPD issued a set of binding directives.

The orders include ensuring daily water sprinkling to suppress dust emissions, covering all construction material according to standard operating procedures and installing dust screening barriers and nets around active construction zones.

The department stressed that these measures were legally required under provincial environmental laws.

EPD officials said the violations were part of a broader pattern across large-scale infrastructure projects, where environmental compliance was often treated as a secondary concern.

"Construction-sector emissions have become a significant contributor to Lahore's smog problem, especially during dry weather," an official said. "Unchecked dust not only worsens air pollution but also undermines all other anti-smog efforts," the official added.

In recent years, the EPD has taken action against several development projects in the city. Construction work at parts of the Orange Line mass transit project, Lahore Ring Road extension and private housing schemes was previously halted or fined over dust emissions and improper waste handling. In 2023 and 2024, dozens of brick kilns, factories and construction sites were shut down temporarily during peak smog months for violating environmental standards.

Despite these actions, environmental experts argue that enforcement remains inconsistent. Lahore continues to rank among the most polluted cities in the world during winter, when vehicular emissions, industrial smoke, crop residue burning and construction dust combine to create dense smog episodes.

Hospitals across the city report sharp increases in the number of patients suffering from asthma, bronchitis, eye irritation and cardiac complications during severe pollution spells.