Pakistan’s Air Quality Control Programme: Beijing Case Study

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March 3, 2021
Mehreen Naushad
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Pakistan’s air quality according to recent World Health Organization’s guidelines is considered to be unsafe. However, poor air quality is not synonymous to Pakistan only. In early 1990s, Beijing’s air quality was considered to be poor. In 1998, the Government of China launched an intensified air pollution control programme which has been successful in drastically

Pakistan’s air quality according to recent World Health Organization’s guidelines is considered to be unsafe. However, poor air quality is not synonymous to Pakistan only. In early 1990s, Beijing’s air quality was considered to be poor. In 1998, the Government of China launched an intensified air pollution control programme which has been successful in drastically reducing the poor air quality in the region. The slew of measures undertaken by the State of Beijing can provide a roadmap for Pakistan when tackling air pollution. This article looks at the policies and actions taken by Beijing to improve air quality and assess whether similar policies and steps may be adopted in Pakistan.

Beijing Air Quality Management System

Beijing’s air quality management system is characterized by: legislative and enforcement mechanisms; systematic planning; powerful local standards; strong monitoring capacity; and high public environmental awareness.

Air Pollution Control Plans

China has implemented a number of plans that address air pollution ranging from short, medium and long-term. These plans identify aims, outlines the tasks and measures to be undertaken to achieve the set goals. Furthermore, Beijing has invested in building the capacity of institutions to provide appropriate scientific research on air pollution and relevant innovative technologies which provides critical support to the development and implementation of air pollution control measures.

Local Regulations and Emission Standards

Beijing has implemented a number of laws such as the Law of People’s Government of China on Environmental Protection 2014, and The Law of People’s Government of China on Air Pollution Control 2015 to deal with the serious air pollution. These laws provide for the implementation of comprehensive treatment and integrated control of air pollution sources; setting concentration limits to controlling both the concentration and total emission amount; and government control to social governance. Furthermore, local governments were also empowered to publish local environmental standards that cater to local air pollution control standards, combustion sources, mobile sources, industrial sources, and commercial products.

Additionally, Beijing introduced two levels of environmental law enforcement at municipal and district level with specific mandates assigned for each level. This includes investigations, supervisions, inspections, and development of emission inventory for each source. In 2017, Beijing also established and Environmental Police team. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Departments through joint law enforcement liaison have the power to transfer cases of environmental crimes to public security department according to law.

Economic Policies

Beijing has also built an effective system of local environmental economic incentive policies that provides financial support to control pollution through funding, fees, pricing, incentives and subsidies. The state of Beijing provided funding to subsidize clean energy renovation of coal-fired boilers, coal to electricity heating for residences and rural transformation of bulk coal. Financial subsidies and incentives were provided to vehicle owners to scrap old cars, for retrofitting heavy-duty diesel vehicles and purchase of new energy vehicles. Heavy incentives were granted to high-polluting industries that chose to close their productions and implement exhaust gas treatment in their production processes. Differentiated fees were charged to those industries that chose to remain in production.

Enhancement of Monitoring Capacity

Beijing in 1980s took the initiative to develop an automatic monitoring system for ambient air quality and its long-term trends, covering major pollutants in the region. These stations monitor major air pollutants, identify high-emission regions and periods in the city. At present 35 monitoring stations cover Beijing’s territory and are equipped with new generation satellite remote sensing with high spatial and temporal resolution, laser radar vertical network, and high-precision meteorological observation. The data collected by these stations are then released to the public with aim to create transparency and raise public awareness.

Heavy Pollution Emergency Response System

In response to frequent heavy air pollution, Beijing developed the Beijing Emergency Plan for Extreme Air Pollution (Revised in 2017) to issue early warning of heavy air pollution. The Plan encompasses alert levels, emergency measures, emergency response, and organizational guarantees. This not only helps the public to strengthen their own health protection, but also enables the implementation of emergency pollution control measures.

Information Release and Public Participation

Realizing the importance of public participation in environmental protection, Beijing daily publishes air quality reports and forecasts that predicts the pollution index ranges and pollution levels of the major pollutants in the region. The state of Beijing has also set up multiple campaigns and activities to promote environmental education. Moreover, they have taken to popularize environmental knowledge and disseminate green ideas through media communication platforms, books, and special television programs.

Pakistan Air Quality Management System

In Pakistan, the major contributors to the nation’s poor air quality is not only vehicle emissions, solid waste burning and industrial emissions, but also includes the lack of data and information that allows for the society to participate in achieving environmental objectives, absence of incentives for private sector actors to install emissions controls, and better cooperation across borders for developing effective solutions. In this regard, the air pollution control programme initiated in Beijing can provide a number of lessons for Pakistan in tackling air pollution.

Beijing developed its system by identifying major pollutants in the region and accordingly implemented a number of measures that primarily focused on energy infrastructure optimization, coal-fired pollution control and vehicle emission controls. In addition to this, the state of Beijing also established a number of local environment policies to provide economic incentives to businesses for controlling air pollutants. This includes providing subsidies, fees, pricing and other financial practices. Another practice Beijing adopted was the establishment of is air quality monitoring (AQM) system. This advanced technological system is built in with high resolution satellite remote sensing and laser radar which has the ability to monitor major air pollutants in the city.

Similarly, Pakistan needs to issue documents that advise on strategies to fight air pollution, take appropriate measures to control air pollution caused by industrial enterprises, carry out rectifications of the emissions of vehicles, strengthen land greening and dust control. In addition to the aforementioned, Pakistan needs to develop a system of monitoring and evaluation, distribute the sources of pollution and establish emission inventories, draft comprehensive legal standards, and ensure strict enforcement of the environmental laws. This mechanism needs to be supported by economic policies and public participation and coordination on air pollution prevention and control in Pakistan.

However, it is imperative to note that these policies and measures will not happen overnight. Pakistan needs to make enormous investment of time, resources and political will in aims of improving the air quality of the country.