Punjab government has installed 30 air quality monitors to control the smog crisis

LAHORE: In a major development, Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb announced that to tackle the worst smog crisis in the history of provincial capitals, the Punjab government has installed 30 air quality monitors across the province.

These monitors will provide accurate data with improved tracing capability beyond the limits of air pollution, and provide potential preventive measures. The minister also said that in the second phase of the project, 25 more aerial monitors will be installed.

City-wise details of air quality monitors installed have been kept with eight monitors across the city, including Lahore, with three monitors in Rawalpindi. Faisalabad and Sheikhupura with one monitor each; Two monitors in Gujranwala and two in Bahawalpur. Only one monitor was installed in Sialkot.

Aerial monitors are connected to the Environmental Protection Agency’s central control room from where data will also be rerouted to the global information system.

Additionally, Aurangzeb stressed the agency’s commitment to transparency: “Instead of burying information, we will establish a tradition of sharing facts with the general public.” He further emphasized the assessment of air quality, which is a prerequisite for arriving at any sustainable solution.