Punjab Environment Protection launches real-time air quality dashboard

Lahore: The Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EP&CCD) unveiled a groundbreaking real-time air quality dashboard on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, collaborating with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). This innovative platform, the first of its kind in Pakistan with international recognition from ICIMOD, integrates data from an extensive network of 59 state-of-the-art air quality monitoring stations (AQMS) spread across Punjab.

Powered by real-time data, the dashboard seamlessly combines information from ground monitoring stations, satellites, weather conditions, and advanced air pollution forecasting systems. This integrated approach enables the EP&CCD to gain a comprehensive understanding of pollution sources, identify critical hotspots, and accurately forecast air quality trends over the coming hours and days in Punjab.

Speaking at the launch, EPA Punjab Director General Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh highlighted the remarkable strides made in environmental governance over the past two years through technological advancements, digital monitoring, and science-driven decision-making. He announced the expansion of the air quality monitoring network from just three stations in Lahore in 2024 to the current 59 advanced AQMS stations, with further expansion plans to 100 stations province-wide.

Sheikh emphasized the crucial role of real-time air quality data in enabling effective pollution control measures, including the deployment of mist cannons to tackle fugitive dust and stringent sector-wise enforcement against major emission sources. He stressed that timely and precise air quality information is vital for prompt government action to mitigate pollution impacts.

The initiative, backed by ICIMOD’s HI-REAP program funded by the UK’s Department for International Development through the CARA initiative, aims to elevate air pollution monitoring, forecasting, public awareness, and governmental response, thereby facilitating faster and more informed actions to enhance air quality across Punjab.