Beyond the haze: from reaction to reform — Punjab’s turnaround | The Express Tribune

Every winter, as Lahore’s skyline dissolves into its familiar grey, so does a certain predictability in our national discourse. The same headlines, the same despair and the same insistence that “nothing works.” This year’s favourite villain is the anti-smog gun, a water cannon turned lightning rod for cynicism. It is fascinating how a few mist spraying machines have managed to overshadow a province wide, multi sectoral environmental transformation.

Let us be clear, anti-smog guns are not Punjab’s smog plan, they are its footnote. They are temporary, tactical tools for dust suppression at construction sites, meant to test technology, not define policy. Their purpose is not to clean the skies but to demonstrate that Punjab is willing to innovate, experiment and act at every level. Mocking them is like blaming a microscope for not curing disease.

Because the real story is bigger, bolder and underway with scientific precision.

When this government took charge 16 months ago, Punjab’s environmental management system was practically non-existent. Only three non-functional AQI monitors —dusty relics from an old JICA project —existed. ‘Smog control’ meant four months of panic followed by eight months of silence.

Today, that has changed beyond recognition. 41 real time AQI monitors now stream live data across Punjab, with 100 to be operational by June 2026. A Multi Sectoral Alignment Cell in the Planning and Development Department coordinates targets across transport, agriculture, industry, waste and energy sectors, ensuring that every decision, from crop residue to fuel quality, aligns under one unified command.

Building on this scientific foundation, the first ever Punjab Climate Observatory is being established, the region’s first multi-sectoral climate data infrastructure. It will serve as Punjab’s central hub for real time data, research and predictive modelling on air quality, emissions and climate resilience, linking universities, field sensors and decision makers to transform data into direction.

This transformation is anchored in the Climate Resilient Vision 2025 and the Smog Mitigation Plan 2025, both backed by detailed action plans and Key Performance Indicators. Each department now operates against defined yearly targets for emission reduction, green infrastructure expansion, electric mobility transition, waste recycling and crop residue management. Progress is tracked monthly through performance dashboards and cross sectoral coordination at the Chief Minister’s Climate Monitoring Cell at Planning and Development.

This is not fragmented policy. It is a ‘One Government, Whole of Government’ approach where departments no longer work in isolation but move as one ecosystem for environmental reform.

The Environment Protection Force now operates as a modern green enforcement arm. Equipped with electric vehicles, drones, data systems and specialised training, 660 officers are deployed across Punjab, to expand to 1,000 by January 2026. Their work is linked through live dashboards and Safe City thermal cameras that identify and penalise polluters in real time. Drone surveillance, thermal cameras and Safe City cameras across Punjab monitor violations and emissions in real time, enabling swift response and accountability.

Industry too has been redefined. Over 8,900 industrial units have been inspected, 86 large polluters equipped with Environmental Control Systems, and all 11,374 brick kilns mapped, QR coded, converted to zigzag technology, and connected to live emission monitoring.

In agriculture, more than 5,000 super seeders with 60 percent subsidy to farmers, 841 kabuto harvesters and 15,000 additional mechanised units are replacing stubble burning across 600,000 acres of farmland. SUPARCO satellite data shows a 65 percent reduction in fire anomalies across Punjab this year, even though half of the rice has already been harvested. This is not a claim; it is evidence of behavioural change on the ground.

For the first time, 500,000 vehicles have been emission certified and fuel testing at petrol stations in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi is underway. Under the Punjab Clean Air Programme, the replacement of two and three wheelers with electric models has begun.

Under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s E Mobility and Electric Mass Transit Vision, more than 4,000 electric buses, of which 1,500 are already on roads across Punjab, are reducing congestion and fuel consumption. Lahore’s once toxic Mehmood Booti landfill is being transformed into a methane capture and green park project, Pakistan’s first site tied to an international carbon credit programme.

At the heart of this transformation lies the Chief Minister’s Climate Financing Vision, embedding sustainability into Punjab’s development itself. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, one percent of every project under the Punjab Annual Development Programme is reserved as a climate resilience cost at the approval stage.

For the year 2024-25, the total smog mitigation related ADP stands at Rs94.6 billion, and for 2025-26, Rs123 billion. The smog mitigation and AQI tagged budget in all previous years was zero. Climate adaptation is no longer an afterthought but a built-in principle.

Meanwhile, the Plant for Pakistan campaign continues to green Punjab, expanding urban forests, riverine belts and community plantations. Together, these natural systems form the province’s lungs, sequester carbon and restore balance.

The data speaks. Lahore recorded 16 better air days this October compared to the same month last year. Last year, the AQI touched 2,000. Earlier in the month, special children’s schools were closed and by mid-October, schools, colleges and outdoor activities were largely suspended. Alhamdulillah, the 16 better air days this October are a testament to coordinated enforcement, science-based interventions and the multi-sectoral approach. This is not coincidence; it is consequence.

Everyone wants clean air, fewer facts and more opinions. But without scientific reference and source apportionment data, that combination only thickens the smog.

We have just embarked on this journey. The purpose of this article is not to respond to criticism but to ensure that the criticism, at the very least, is informed. We must fight this as a nation. Join the effort.