Motorcycles are polluting Lahore!
According to Air Quality Index, Lahore is among the most polluted countries in the world. In winter the citizens of Lahore face a dense smoke called Fog while in summer they witness extreme heat. According to a survey report of The Urban Unit, automobiles and mainly motorcycles are the largest polluters of Lahore. Here is what the report says.
Automobiles contribute to 83% in polluting the Lahore city. This is because a large number of public and private automobiles running on the roads. 23% Of automobile pollution is caused by 4-wheeler vehicles and 69% is caused by motorcycles. This explains that Lahore has a huge number of on-road vehicles and the majority of them are working without any fitness test or certificate and polluting the city.
The huge number of motorcycles shows that this is a problem now. Govt is trying hard to shift consumers from petrol-powered motorcycles to electric motorcycles. Govt has announced to incentify both the consumer and manufacturer of electric motorcycles in this regard. The issue here is that electric bikes in Pakistan are decades old, have poor technology, and are poorly put together. The shift from regular petrol-powered bikes to electric bikes will take a good number of years.
Also read: Why do electric bikes fail in Pakistan?
Lahore is also overstaffed in terms of number of on-road vehicles. In 2011, Lahore had 2.39 million registered vehicles in the Lahore district. This number has gone way high and in 2021 Lahore has 6.29 million registered vehicles. This number must have increased more in 2023.
The increasing number of on-road vehicles, no vehicle fitness checks, and no modern fuel & environment-saving technologies from manufacturers are contributing to increasing temperatures and pollution. The motorcycles in Lahore should also be regulated for their fitness and certificates should be issued to a completely fit vehicle only.
