PAQI wins  global EPIC Air Quality Award

The Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI) has been named as one of 12 recipients of the global EPIC Air Quality Award, an initiative aimed at expanding access to air quality data for 1 billion people by 2030.

This award from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago comes at a critical time, as cities across Pakistan confront record-breaking air pollution levels. Lahore’s air quality often exceeds an AQI of 1,000 during the smog season, with extremes of 1,900 recorded in November 2024, as reported by PAQI’s existing air quality monitoring network. These hazardous pollution levels underscore the urgent need for interventions.

The award will enable PAQI to enhance its monitoring network by deploying additional stations in key urban centers and underserved rural regions. This expansion will significantly improve real-time pollution monitoring in Pakistan—a crucial step toward understanding pollution dynamics and influencing policy decisions.

In conjunction with this effort, the Pakistan Air Quality Experts (PAQx) group—a coalition of professionals

from fields including public health, environmental science, and law—has actively addressed the public health crisis caused by severe air pollution. PAQx emphasizes the establishment of a nationwide, real-time air quality monitoring network to facilitate informed policymaking. Their recommendations also include aligning Pakistan’s air quality standards with WHO guidelines and supporting government initiatives like the Punjab Clean Air Program (P-CAP).

In his remark, Abid Omar, Founder of PAQI opined: “The support from the EPIC Air Quality Fund reinforces our commitment to fostering a cleaner, healthier future for Pakistan”.

“Together with stakeholders, we are poised to drive substantive, actionable change that aligns with our mission of delivering clean air as a fundamental right for all citizens in line with Article 9A of the Constitution.” Omar stressed.

Through strategic data sharing with platforms like OpenAQ, PAQI ensures that information remains accessible and actionable, facilitating decision-making among stakeholders and promoting national-level environmental improvements.

This effort will not only address immediate air quality issues but also lay the groundwork for a healthier and more sustainable future for Pakistan, rather than relying on temporary or inefficient measures like “smog clean towers,” which have proven impractical and economically costly in similar contexts worldwide.