US delegation briefed about Punjab’s environmental initiatives
LAHORE: A delegation from the US Consulate General visited the Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Lahore on Saturday and was briefed on the provincial government’s initiatives to combat air pollution, climate change and improve environmental governance through technology-driven monitoring systems.
Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb welcomed the delegation, while provincial ministers and senior officials were also present. The delegation toured the EPA Control Room, reviewed the environmental monitoring system and observed Lahore’s live Air Quality Index (AQI) through the Air Quality Management System.
During the briefing, Aurangzeb said that Lahore, which ranked among the world’s most polluted cities in November 2024, had witnessed significant improvement in air quality due to comprehensive anti-smog measures undertaken by the Punjab government. She said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had empowered the EPA with enhanced authority, financial resources and modern technology to strengthen environmental enforcement.
She said the use of super seeders had been made mandatory to discourage crop residue burning, adding that only 250 machines were available across Punjab when the current government assumed office, while more than 7,500 super seeders were now being used by farmers. She said the chief minister had set a target of distributing over 15,000 super seeders by next year, with the government providing a 60 percent subsidy under the “Smog-Free Punjab” programme.
Aurangzeb said the Punjab government had allocated a historic budget for climate change, environment, forestry and wildlife sectors over the past two years, enabling these departments to adopt state-of-the-art technologies. She added that Punjab was establishing Pakistan’s and the region’s first Climate Change Observatory, which would serve as a central data hub for climate monitoring and building a climate-resilient Punjab.
Officials informed the delegation that industrial units across Punjab were being monitored round the clock, all EPA field officers had been equipped with body cameras, and all brick kilns in the province had been converted to zigzag technology. They said Lahore’s motorways, shopping malls and model bazaars had been declared plastic-free zones, while the initiative would gradually be expanded to commercial markets across Punjab.
The briefing further highlighted that strict dust control measures were being enforced at construction sites, violations were instantly reported through a robocall system, and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority was also monitoring pollution-causing activities. The delegation was informed that online hearing and licensing systems had been introduced to enhance transparency, while live tracking of EPA vehicles and officers, wind direction, heatwave conditions and vehicle emissions was also being carried out. Officials added that the Punjab AQI mobile application was providing citizens with real-time air quality information.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026