Lahore:The energy sector occupies 80 percent of the total air pollutants emissions in Punjab, says the new Economic Survey of Pakistan 2020.
According to the survey, the emissions of NOx, being the main pollutant responsible for smog formation, are highest from the transport sector (58 percent). Industry and power collectively hold 34 percent share in NOx emissions while rice residue burning is just at 9 percent.
Seasonal climatology plays a vital role in the transport of different kinds of air pollutants affecting day-to-day human activities. Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model-based findings have indicated that buildup of anthropogenic aerosols mainly has been taking place in winter (December, January, February, March) and post-monsoon (October, November) for which region-wise point source locations were identified.
It was found that 65 percent of the sources were detected within Pakistan. Secondly, the sectoral contribution of pollutants (NOx, SOx, PM 2.5, CO and NMVOCs) based on the data of the last 10 years (2008-17) was determined using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodologies.
The outcomes demonstrate the transport sector as the biggest contributor (43 percent) in total air pollutants emission in Punjab while the rice residue burning adds just 20 percent. Besides, Industry and Power sectors hold 25 percent and 12 percent, respectively.