Pakistan PM announces plan to tackle 'killer' smog

Men wearing protective masks wait for a bus in Lahore, Pakistan November 22, 2019. (REUTERS/ File Photo)

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, third right, addresses the Press Conference in Lahore on Nov. 30, 2019. (PID)

• On some days this month, Lahore topped the list of world’s most polluted cities
• PM announces tree plantation, EU emission standards, oil refineries get three years to improve quality, auto industry to shift to electric

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced his government’s newest concrete measures to curb “silent killer” pollution, which has caused Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore to top the list of the world’s most polluted cities this month.
Earlier in November, a Smog Committee was also established by the Punjab government when air quality levels became so hazardous in Lahore that schools had to be shut down three times, and social media channels erupted with outrage. Air quality in major Pakistani cities reaches hazardous levels every year between Oct- Feb, during what is often referred to as the country’s fifth ‘smog season.’
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Khan said a 70 percent decline in tree cover over the last decade had led to the decline in air quality. His subsequent anti-pollution measures included an urban forestry initiative in Lahore, but focused in large part on emission standards. He said the decisions had been made after a detailed meeting with Special Assistant to the PM on petroleum division, Nadeem Babar.
Only oil that met EU’s Euro-4 emission standard would now be imported, and by the end of 2020, a further shift would be made to even better, Euro-5 emission standards. Oil refineries would be given a three year deadline to produce better quality oil, or be shut down, he said.
In a significant measure, Khan also announced that the auto industry in Pakistan would be asked to shift toward electric vehicles with all public buses either electric, hybrid or CNG-based. 
Additionally, imported machinery would be used to assist farmers to make use of the post-harvest rice crop without the need to burn it. Brick kilns would be given financial aid to use environmentally friendly technology, and import duties on scrubbers would be entirely removed so air pollution from steel factories can be curbed, he said.
“Pollution is a silent killer, unlike when you witness an accident or a murder. It is very dangerous,” Khan said, and added that a significant difference would be felt in Pakistan’s air quality in three years’ time.
On Friday, Reuters reported the World Bank also plans to provide $55 million to help Punjab steel and brick plants shift to cleaner technologies, and to help farmers find alternatives to burning crop residues by next year.