Lahore:
For more than a decade, Lahore chokes under a thick cover of smog and atmospheric pollution. But successive governments seem more focused on polishing their green references than making a real difference.
Continuing this trend, the newly formed environmental protection force aims to give an example in a city where most commercial and private vehicles are still operating in petrol, without supervision of appropriate emissions.
His solution? Patrolling the streets and performing inspections in 25 brilliant hybrid cars – with an amazing cost of 250 million rupees, funded as part of the Green Bank program.
To give the government the benefit of the doubt, some could call it a step in the right direction. But this argument quickly disintegrates when most of the city shuttles can barely afford an electric motorcycle, not to mention an ecological car.
The new force, however, will have access to 250 electric motorcycles, as well as modern inspection equipment, including tablets and instruments for the analysis of gas and water, for 300 million additional rupees, funded by the provincial administration.
According to figures collected by L’Express PK Press Club, Lahore, the capital of Punjab, has 7.5 million registered vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, ripens and taxis. A crushing of 99% on petrol, making it a major contributor to the quality of unhealthy air in the city. From April 2, the Lahore air quality index (AQI) varies from 100 to 166, placing it in the “unhealthy” category for a large part of the day. During the first two days of the month, PM2.5 levels varied between 60 and 90 µg / m³ – more than four times the 24 -hour safety limit set by the World Health Organization.
So, the new environmental protection force, with its fleet of hybrid cars, can make a difference? Environmental experts say no. Even those who know the mechanics of vehicles see few advantages in the addition of 25 hybrid cars to the environment of environmental protection when the vast majority of vehicles on the roads of Lahore still operate in petrol.
“If the government was serious about environmentally friendly transport, it should have opted for fully electric vehicles instead of hybrids, which are still based on fossil fuels,” said Sunil Sarfaraz Munj, who directs Pakweels, the largest car website in the country. “It’s like preaching others without practicing it yourself-hybrids always have an engine and need fuel,” he added. “If the government was serious about his slogan” Go Green Go “, he should have tackled electric transport.”
Throwing an additional doubt, Munj pointed out that if the goal was to reduce emissions and give an example, the government could have saved money by opting for Atto 3 by Byd, a more affordable electric vehicle from the Chinese manufacturer.
Taking into account the advice of the automotive expert, L’Express PK Press Club conducted a market survey. The last participant of the Pakistan electric vehicle market, byd, has models between 9 million and 17 million rupees – well out of reach of most. Independent financial experts calculate the median monthly salary in Pakistan at Rs 70,700, making ownership of EV EV a distant dream for the average consumer. This salary also puts electric bikes – a price between Rs 140,000 and Rs 250,000 – range.
What is the depth of Go Green’s promise?
Environmental experts argue that the government pushes its slogan “Go Green Go” without focusing on concrete actions.
On the one hand, they say, the environmental protection force that patrols hybrid vehicles will have little inspiring value if the average citizen cannot afford the prohibitive ecological alternatives. More critical, they emphasize that for Lahore to see a real improvement in air quality, the provincial administration must take several simultaneous steps – improve urban transport, offer better connectivity and provide incentives to the average nutshell.
Currently, they note that the system is not to meet the needs of a city of 14.8 million people. Take the Lahore metro -bus – a 60 buses of 60 buses covering only 27 kilometers from Gajju Matah in Shahdara. Experts argue that it is far from sufficient to convince shuttlemen to abandon their personal transport. Likewise, the orange line metro train, covering 27.1 kilometers with 26 stations, needs a carefully planned expansion to cover more routes across the city – something that political decision -makers have not yet approached. Without an effective public transport system, they warned that any other measure will not do much to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads, which makes a significant reduction in emissions unlikely.
Inspiring value
Asked about the expensive purchase of hybrid vehicles for the new environmental protection force, the secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency of Punjab, Raja Jahangir Anwar, defended the decision. Addressing L’Express PK Press Club, he said that 250 electric motorcycles and 25 hybrid vehicles had been purchased to inspect industrial units, factories and brick ovens. “Since the province is heading to zero emissions, it was essential to ensure that the vehicles used by the department were also environmentally friendly,” he added.
Environmental experts argue that without a significant change in public transport, industrial regulations and fuel quality, these measures will not do much to control air pollution of Lahore. Despite the allegations of progress from the provincial government to zero zero emissions – and the creation of an “SMOG War Show” The most populous province of Pakistan remains a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
Although the specific Punjab figures are not available, its industrial production, its vehicle emissions and its agricultural practices suggest that it represents a significant part of the national total. Nowhere is this is no longer obvious only in the provincial capital, which, every winter for 15 years, stopped under a thick toxic smog cover – both in competition with New Delhi for the dubious title of the most polluted city in the world.
Pollution mixture
According to a report by the Urban Unit of Punjab Planning and Development Department, transport represents 83% of atmospheric pollution of Lahore. In this sector, motorcycles, scooters and cars pushes – many of which using two -stroke engines – are among the worst offenders. To make things worse, low quality fuel is widely available, exacerbating vehicle emissions and further deteriorating air quality.
Industrial activity is another major contributor
Recent estimates suggest that factory emissions represent around 25% of the total atmospheric pollution of Lahore. Combined with the transport sector, these emissions feed the dangerous SMOG which frequently covers the city.
Climate change action plan
An examination of the Punjab climate change action plan, unveiled last year, has ambitious targets: sales of electric vehicles (EV) should reach 15% by 2030 and 20% by 2035. But experts warn that even if these objectives are achieved, the overall impact on vehicle emissions is probably negligible.
As part of the 2024 plan, the provincial government aims at 60% of its energy from renewable sources and that electric vehicles represent 30% of vehicles on the road by the end of the decade. Dawar Hameed Butt, an environmental specialist, remains deeply skeptical.
“Although the objective of renewable energies can reach 40 to 45% by 2030, the target of the electric vehicle is extremely unrealistic and can barely scratch 1%,” he said. The fundamental question, explained Butt, is the lack of infrastructure. The load of networks remains inadequate and, with the adoption EV currently minimal, it sees little chance of rapid expansion in the years to come.
Beyond electric cars, punjab transport problems are exacerbated by the lack of effective options. Sani E Zahra, an urban planner based in Lahore, made comparisons with cities such as Bogotá and Beijing, which have managed to build integrated and durable public transport systems.
It urged decision -makers to consider public transport as a long -term investment rather than a tool for political gains. “The sustainable and well planned transport solutions are crucial – not only for urban mobility but for improving quality of life,” said Zahra.
