Urban population explosion has increased motor vehicular usage tremendously. Lahore, once called city of gardens, has been plagued with swelling air pollution. Extensive car ownership rate results in more usage of energy and higher vehicular emission in environment. To achieve acceptable air quality, the popular available opportunities for the big cities of Pakistan are the use of alternate fuel (conversion to CNG), improved traffic management, greater role for Mass Transit System and effective emission control for two or three wheelers. There has been a tremendous trend in conversion of vehicle to CNG. Public transport and huge proportion of vehicles operating in Lahore are diesel fuelled and as per policy guide lines by Asian Development Bank their conversion is not possible. Traffic management measures have become exhausted and cannot be sustained further. Data shows that the Mass Transit System did not depict any significant change in the pollution scenario. The effect of the Mass Transit System on the environment of Lahore has been discussed in this paper. The paper presents a workable environmental option/opportunity conducive for the city of Lahore. For the covering abstract see ITRD E128680.
Samenvatting