LAHORE: The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday unveiled its first State of the Environment Report-2022 in 25 years.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Punjab’s environment, covering air, water, and soil quality, as well as wastewater and solid waste management.

It will serve as a crucial baseline for informed decision-making, policy formulation and environmental planning.

While highlighting key findings, the report acknowledges the challenges posed by air pollution, with a focus on Lahore, where smog has become a real challenge. Additionally, it emphasises the importance of addressing the mounting solid waste crisis, urging proper waste segregation, recycling initiatives, and modern waste management infrastructure.

Acknowledges air pollution challenges with focus on Lahore

In addressing wastewater management, the report sheds light on the existing industrial treatment facilities, emphasizing the need for their improvement to protect aquatic ecosystems and promote trade opportunities.

Furthermore, it highlights the Environmental Protection Agency’s diligent efforts in inspecting hospitals for compliance with waste management regulations, resulting in corrective measures being taken against non-compliant facilities.

The report also recognises the significant tree planting initiatives undertaken by the EPA along with the resolution of a majority of public complaints against air pollution.

Under the Punjab Green Development Programme, the Environment Protection Department is executing initiatives to strengthen environmental governance, encourage green investments and establish monitoring stations for air and water quality.

The EPD launched an anti-smog campaign in 2022 as a preventive measure to control air pollution levels. The campaign included many institutional arrangements, enforcement and monitoring based anti-smog activities. The EPA inspected 2,169 public and private hospitals to check the implementation of Punjab Hospital Waste Management Rules (2014). Subsequent to these inspections, around 832 hearing notices and 123 Environmental Protection Orders were issued to the non-compliant hospitals.

A total of 705,650 trees were planted under the supervision of the EPA field offices across Punjab in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. The Environment Protection Department is executing 19 Punjab Green Development Programmes to strengthen environmental governance and promote green investments in the province. Under this programme, a network of 30 Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) stations and 15 water quality monitoring stations will be installed across the Punjab with a central control room in the Environmental Monitoring Centre located in Lahore.

The EPD Punjab notified a Health Advisory System for Critical Air Pollution Events (HASCAPEs) targeting vulnerable population groups. Also, the execution of project proposal for Establishment of Missing Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) and revision of existing standards and development of industry-specific EQ standards initiated in year 2022.

The Punjab Environment Protection Act 1997 provides a unique set of arrangements for the redress of environmental complaints proactively across Punjab through a formalised grievance redress mechanism.

The EPA receives complaints of different natures regarding various environmental issues and addresses them by taking corrective measures, lodging FIRs or by sealing polluting source units. The EPA received a total of 1,091 complaints from 36 districts across Punjab in the year 2022, of which 63pc were resolved. Almost 47pc of the complaints were related to air pollution showing public concerns towards clean air.

At the launch event of the State of the Environment Report 2022, EPD Strategic Planning and Implementation Unit Project Director Samia Saleem emphasised the importance of immediate action and commended the team behind the report for achieving this milestone after 25 years.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2023