A Review of Transport and Urban Air Pollution in Pakistan

Sz Ilyas

doi:10.4314/jasem.v11i2.55004

Abstract

Nowadays air over major cities throughout the world has become over burdened with gases produced by automobiles. The death rate due to automobiles pollution is increasing rapidly in the metropolitan areas. With passage of time people realized that polluted air had serious effects on their health, climate and economics. Weather and climate have the integrated impact on human activities which are resulting in worldwide concentration of the particulate of environmental pollution viz.chloroflorocarbons (CFCs), carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, lead and several other dust and gaseous particles.The rapid growth in motor vehicle activity in Pakistan and other rapidly industrializinglow-income countries is contributing to high levels of urban air pollution, among other adverse socioeconomic, environmental, health, and welfare impacts. This paper first discusses the local, regional, and global impacts associated with air pollutant emissions resulting from motor vehicle activity, and the technological, behavioral, and institutional factors that have contributed to these emissions, in Pakistan.The paper then discusses some implementation issues related to various policy measures that have been undertaken, and the challenges of the policy context. Finally, the paper presents insights and lessons based on the recent Pakistan experience, for better understanding and more effectively addressing the transport air pollution problem in Pakistan and similar countries, in a way that is sensitive to their needs,capabilities, and constraints.

Highlights

Urban Air Pollution in Pakistan: The rapid growth in motor vehicle activity in cities of Pakistan has brought in its wake a range of serious socioeconomic, environmental, health, and welfare impacts
Ozone has not been monitored regularly, but limited studies in the 1990s showed that short-term World Health Organization (WHO) limits were exceeded at some locations (Environment Protection Agency Pakistan, 2004)
There are discrepancies between inventories generated by different agencies (Syed Zafar Ilyas, 2005). Notwithstanding these issues, the available data show, in Karachi, for example, that motor vehicles are predominant in terms of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. Their share of particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions is considerably lower than that of other sources (Syed Zafar Ilyas, 2005), their contribution to these emissions and, more generally, the contribution of urban transport to air pollution are likely growing in cities of Pakistan, given the rapidly growing motor vehicle activity

Summary

Introduction

Urban Air Pollution in Pakistan: The rapid growth in motor vehicle activity in cities of Pakistan has brought in its wake a range of serious socioeconomic, environmental, health, and welfare impacts.

Results

Conclusion