Anti-smog measures: EPA urges schools to promote carpooling

LAHORE: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Punjab has urged schools across Punjab, with a focus on Lahore, to promote carpooling among students, parents, and staff members to minimize the number of private vehicles on city roads and curb vehicular emissions as the city anticipates another smog episode. In a letter addressed to the Secretary School Education Department, EPA Director General Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh explained that the current air quality situation, especially during morning hours with heavy traffic congestion, necessitated proactive steps to cut down emissions.

Sheikh argued that excessive traffic, idling, and slow-moving vehicles were heightening particulate matter and exacerbating urban air pollution and smog. The EPA has instructed the School Education Department and educational institutions to incorporate carpooling into their smog mitigation strategies by facilitating shared transportation for students, parents, and school staff commuting from similar neighborhoods or routes.

The agency recommended that schools identify residential clusters and routes with multiple families heading to the same institution and encourage them to share vehicles. Schools should maintain route-specific carpool lists and coordinate parents and staff to facilitate these arrangements. This strategy is especially pertinent in Lahore, where school opening and closing times align with peak traffic periods.

Environmental experts believe that reducing the number of vehicles making frequent trips to educational institutions at the same time could alleviate congestion and lower emissions. Sheikh stressed that carpooling should be an integral, practical part of anti-smog planning rather than a mere publicity stunt. He urged schools, parents, and staff to actively participate in minimizing unnecessary vehicle movement, particularly during peak morning hours when stagnant air conditions can worsen the effects of traffic emissions and other pollutants.

The EPA emphasized that the proposed initiative should not impose additional financial strain on families. Instead, schools are requested to adopt a facilitating approach by assisting parents in organizing shared transportation. The proposal has been shared with senior officials, including the Secretary Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, the Chief Minister’s Office, the Additional Director General Operations of EPA, the Chief Executive Officer of District Education Authority Lahore, and the President of the Private School Education Association Lahore.