Breathe Pakistan: Conference on tackling air pollution begins in Lahore
A conference on tackling the issue of air pollution has begun at the Expo Centre in Lahore as part of DawnMedia’s ‘Breathe Pakistan’ initiative.
Air pollution has become one of the most pressing public health and environmental crises facing Pakistan, and Lahore in particular is no stranger to this phenomenon.
The conference is being organised in collaboration with the United Nations and the Government of Punjab. The Pakistan Business Council will be a knowledge partner, while Ipsos, Climate Forward Pakistan and Carbon Track will be research partners.
The conference will spotlight actionable solutions, foster high-level dialogue, and drive collective action for cleaner air in Pakistan. Sessions will cover a broad range of themes, including governance and policy frameworks, financing clean air, smog and industrial responsibility, judicial activism, public health impacts, nationwide air quality standards, and regional cooperation on transboundary pollution.
Notable speakers expected to speak at today’s moot include Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, federal and provincial ministers, Supreme Court’s Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik, and Lahore High Court’s Justice Jawad Hassan.
Senior United Nations’ officials, global health experts, economists, and corporate leaders are also set to give their insights on the pressing matter.
The initiative is also supported by leading commercial stakeholders and several other public and private organisations, including English Biscuit Manufacturers, Bank of Punjab, Punjab’s Environment Protection & Climate Change Department, OMODA & JAECOO-Nishat Group and NDMRF, among others, “reflecting a strong and growing alliance across sectors to address the urgent challenges posed by steeply rising air pollution in Pakistan,” DawnMedia stated.
Find out more about the agenda for today’s conference here.
10:21 — Aurangzeb lists steps taken by Punjab govt to tackle smog
Aurangzeb emphasised that Punjab now had a state-of-the-art environment force. Listing the steps taken by the provincial government, she said a subsidy programme with 80pc paid by the government was initiated and Lahore Division now had 5,000 superseeders.
Stubble burning zones were mapped, investment was done in the mechanisation of agriculture, and drone monitoring for industrial units is carried out. Around 11,000 brick kilns across the Punjab were also mapped and those without zigzag technology were sealed.
10:17 — Punjab minister details CM Maryan’s smog mitigation plan
The Punjab senior minister recalled the smog mitigation plan launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
“When I speak about Punjab interventions, we have completed the entire legal framework. We are now doing AI-predictable modelling for forecasting AQI levels,” Aurangzeb highlighted.
“Localisation of smog mitigation was critical to the intervention, so we took a multi-sectoral lens to smog mitigation,” she said, noting smog guns imported two months ago and deployed in Lahore.
“For predictable forecasting, we have 41 air monitors across Punjab, and will have 100 across Punjab by 2026.”
10:12am — Marriyum Aurangzeb says such initiatives key to tackling climate change issues
Beginning her address, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb noted the presence of “lots of experts, media people and policymakers and civil society”, adding that it reflected the shared responsibility toward climate resilience and climate adaptation.
Thanking DawnMedia for taking the initiative, the Punjab minister said she was a “bit sceptical” when she participated in the February conference. “I did not think it would be a sustainable initiative. So my heartfelt congrats to Naz, to you and the Dawn group for sustaining this initiative because that is the key to issues like climate change.”
“I want other media groups to be made part of this initiative. I will present a case study from our chief minister. Lahore, a heritage hotspot of Pakistan, [and] the heartbeat of Pakistan, is confronted with seasonal smog. This is a year-long phenomenon. AQI levels of Lahore and other regions of Punjab were not satisfactory, so we started working on smog mitigation objectives,” Aurangzeb highlighted.
She said her government was “in shock that we are talking about it in March” when she called a meeting, as the air quality issue is a year-long phenomenon. “We started off with a multi-sectoral lens for climate change.”
10:07am — PHPL CEO Nazafreen stresses commitment to cleaner skies
Inaugurating the moot, Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani, the CEO of Pakistan Herald Publications Private Limited (PHPL), says: “On behalf of DawnMedia, it is an honour and my responsibility to welcome you all to Breathe Pakistan’s The Air We Breathe — a critical gathering focused on one of the most urgent challenges, air pollution.”
Recalling the initiative’s launch, she said: “Our aim was to start a national dialogue on climate change. At the first conference, experts came together to issue a charter for a climate-resilient Pakistan.
“Today, The Air We Breathe builds on that momentum. As we enter another smog season, this conference focuses on practical tangible measures to tackle air pollution,” Lakhani added.
She further said, “We are helping to weave a living network of collaboration to ensure shared commitments … I hope today’s discussions will inspire collective action and send a strong message that the health of people and the future of Pakistan are not policy points but our priorities.
“Let us commit to cleaner skies and a healthier environment for generations to come.”
9:57am — Conference begins
The conference has begun, with the national anthem being played, followed by the recitation of the Holy Quran.
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and the UN’s Pakistan Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Yahya are seated ready for the first session.
9:45am — Participants speak to each other ahead of session
9:35am — Guests are seated inside the venue
Guests are seated inside the Expo Centre as the conference is about to kick off.
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More to follow
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