Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb declared on Sunday that the Punjab government has launched a massive tree planting program in Lahore with the goal of planting 634,000 trees as part of its efforts to combat extreme air pollution.
The program comes after Punjab, especially Lahore, experienced a severe pollution problem in November 2024 that affected about two million people and compelled officials to implement measures like shortened work hours and school closures. During this time, the city was also one of the most polluted in the world.
Along the banks of the River Ravi, 978 acres have been set aside for afforestation by the provincial administration. Noting that 105,000 trees have already been planted on 144 acres close to the river, Aurangzeb emphasised the significance of increasing green spaces in order to fight air pollution and excessive heat. She appealed to the public to back the initiative to build a “wall of trees” in order to improve the environment.In December 2024, Punjab constructed Pakistan’s first locally designed smog cleaning tower in Lahore as part of an additional effort to improve the quality of the air. These towers serve as massive air purifiers, capturing dangerous pollutants like PM2.5 and PM10 with high-efficiency filters before releasing cleaner air into the surrounding environment.
