Thread by @SyedMAbubakar

Happy #InternationalWomensDay

Sharing my latest for @TheNewsonSunday on whether @rideairlift & @SwvlPakistan can help to reduce #AirPollution #GHGs & #TrafficCongestion in #Lahore

Conclusion: Poor #FuelQuality is significantly adding to #AirPollution thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/624…

The story begins with a boy named Muhammad Suhaan Rashid, 10, who uses @rideairlift & @SwvlPakistan to commute from his home in Sukh Chayn Gardens to a mosque daily, to learn the Holy Quran. He finds both services to be safe, reliable and cost effective.

Never before have these services been introduced in Lahore - the #CityofGardens which has now turned into a #CityofConcrete owing to #populationexplosion & #horizontalexpansion

Worst of all, #AirPollution has adversely affected #Lahore, with extremely high levels of PM2.5

#Lahore along with #Gujranwala, #Faisalabad and #Peshawar has led #Pakistan to become the 2nd highest-ranked country for annual PM2.5 levels after #Bangladesh , according to '2019 World Air Quality Report' @UNEP @UNEP_AsiaPac @abido @theLahorewala @hnaqikhan @airsouthasia

@PakAirQuality has revealed that "In 2019 #Lahore had only 10 Hours of Good Air Quality". This coincides with @Lahore_Air confirming that in 2019 the concentration of PM2.5 was 201 g/m³, which was 20 times higher than the safe limit according to the @WHO standards of 10 g/m³.

PM2.5 is the worst of all air pollutants which causes death due to heart-related diseases and lung cancer. PM2.5 is one 400th of a millimetre, smaller than the human hair and can reach lungs. Inhaled PM2.5 particles can also enter the blood stream and the brain #airapocalypse

@FAOPakistan #RSmog report has revealed that Transport Sector contributes 43% of air pollutant emissions in #Punjab. Industries rank 2nd with 25%, agriculture sector contributes 20% with 3rd position & power sector acquires 4th position contributing 12% of air pollutant emissions

The situation is worst in #Lahore where according to an estimate are approximately 6.2 million vehicles and 4.2 million motorcycles that make up to 32% of vehicles in #Punjab. However @abido of @PakAirQuality thinks its the #PoorFuelQuality worsening #AirPollution in #Lahore

@abido says how the new Honda Civic Turbo wasn’t successful in Pakistan just because the fuel quality was poor with extremely high manganese content.
'Globally, vehicle engine oil is changed after 15k-20k km but in 🇵🇰 it is changed after 5,000 km due to poor fuel quality.'

Hurriyeh Iftikhar @rideairlift, “If you travel by car your average carbon emissions would be 400g/km. By joining our service you reduce that to an approx 158g/km.”

Shahzeb Memon @SwvlPakistan, “It saves about 1000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions for every vehicle each day.”

@abido of @PakAirQuality thinks these are not ‘big numbers’. “Mass transit should be accessible to millions. The government should incentivise such companies, so that they can reach a scale that contributes to reducing air pollution and thereby improving human health.” #aircrisis

@hnaqikhan of @WWFPak recommends @rideairlift that “old and polluting vehicles must be avoided and roadworthiness should be accounted for.”

On Airlift's move to include electric vehicles, he says. “It can help address our urban environmental challenges.” #UrbanMassTransit

@theLahorewala says: Private transportation options that run on diesel are not ‘environmentally friendly’.

“All around the world public transport runs on CNG buses. As long as diesel of poor quality is used the buses will emit PM2.5, adding to air pollution.”

With the #Transport sector being the biggest contributor to #airpollution in #Lahore, the call for an integrated mass transit system becomes important. Alongwith it, there's a need to improve the #fuelquality which is very poor.
@abido @hnaqikhan @theLahorewala @rafay_alam