Lahore:
The Environmental Protection Punjab Agency (EPA) has launched a radical repression on car washing stations in the province for not having installed compulsory water recycling systems, as part of wider efforts to combat a growing water crisis.
This decision comes after the EPA imposed a ban on the province last week on the creation of new car washing stations to avoid new pressure on Punjab water resources.
The application campaign was launched by a deadline for conformity on February 28, targeting 3,525 car washing facilities ordered to adopt water saving systems. According to EPA officials, the initiative aims to limit excessive water consumption within the framework of drought conditions. The Pakistan meteorological department indicated that Punjab precipitation from September 1, 2024 to January 15, 2025 were 42% lower than the average.
Since this week, the EPA has issued opinions to 2,557 stations, closed 322 and sealed 159 for non-compliance. Fines exceeding 600,000 rupees have been imposed. Meanwhile, 646 installations installed the required recycling systems.
The repression follows an order made on February 12 by the director general of the EPA, Dr. Imran Hamid Sheikh, which also requires a penalty of Rs 100,000 for non -compliant petrol pumps. To a related measure, the government has prohibited the washing of vehicles in private residences, offenders facing fines.
To further protect the exhausting water reserves of the province, the EPA published a directive – under article 6 (1)
“In force immediately, this order must remain in force until it is modified or withdrawn,” said the EPA. The directive also warned that violations would be punishable under article 188 of the Pakistan Criminal Code.
Stressing the environmental assessment of the commercial washing of cars, the EPA noted that traditional stations use approximately 400 liters of water per vehicle – a level deemed unsustainable in current conditions.
