SC’s constitutional bench seeks reports from provinces on actions against pollution

The Supreme Court (SC) sought Thursday reports from all four provinces on climate change measures including the prevailing smog situation, Aaj News reported.

The SC’s newly formed constitutional bench began hearing cases that had been pending in the SC for years. The bench was formed under the 26th Amendment.

A six-judge bench comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan took up a petition on environmental pollution.

Justice Mandokhail said that environmental pollution is a nationwide issue and highlighted that vehicle smoke is a major cause of pollution.

He stressed the entire country was facing a “serious environmental issue”.

Subsequently, the SC bench sought a report from each of the provinces on actions taken on environmental pollution and adjourned the hearing for three weeks.

For the past few weeks, Lahore has been enduring hazardous smog prompting the government to close schools and ban outdoor activities.

Lahore’s air quality remained hazardous on Thursday, with an index score of 1172 according to IQAir.

In a notification on Tuesday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that smog conditions will persist throughout November and December in Punjab.

In a notification, the NDMA said the National Emergency Operation Centre has been monitoring the current smog situation in Pakistan and the surrounding region.

“Due to prevailing atmospheric conditions—higher humidity, low wind speed, and increased upper atmospheric pressure—it is anticipated that smog conditions will persist throughout November and December in the plains of Punjab,” the NDMA said.

It further said urban centers such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Mardan, and Nowshera are expected to experience smog during these months.