Attainment targets for ambient air quality should be harmonized with WHO Interim target 1. However systems for monitoring, prevention and control of air pollution need to be enhanced.
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA)1 establishes standards for the quality of ambient air by notification in the official Gazette, in consultation with the Provincial Agency concerned. The standards were last updated in 2010.
| Pollutant | Averaging | Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulphur Dioxide SO2 (μg/m3) | Annual | 80 | Ultraviolet Fluorescence |
| 24-hours | 120 | ||
| Nitrogen Oxides NOx (μg/m3) | Annual | 40 | Gas Phase Chemiluminescence |
| 24-hours | 40 | ||
| Nitrogen Dioxide NO2 (μg/m3) | Annual | 40 | Gas Phase Chemiluminescence |
| 24-hours | 80 | ||
| Ozone O3 (μg/m3) | 1-hour | 130 | Non-dispersive UV Absorption |
| Suspended Particulate Matter SPM (μg/m3) | Annual | 360 | Beta-ray Absorption |
| 24-hours | 500 | ||
| Respirable Particulate Matter PM10 (μg/m3) | Annual | 120 | Beta-ray Absorption |
| 24-hours | 150 | ||
| Respirable Particulate Matter PM2.5 (μg/m3) | Annual | 15 | Beta-ray Absorption |
| 24-hours | 35 | ||
| 1-hours | 15 | ||
| Lead Pb (μg/m3) | Annual | 1 | ASS using EPM 2000 or equivalent |
| 24-hours | 1.5 | ||
| Carbon Monoxide CO (mg/m3) | 8-hours | 5 | Non-dispersive Infrared |
| 1-hours | 10 |
Annual arithmetic mean of minimum 104 measurements in a year, taken twice a week 24-hourly at uniform interval.
24-hourly and 8-hourly values should be met 98% of the [measurements] in a year. 2% of the time, it may exceed [target concentration] but not on two consecutive days.
Provincial standards are the same as the national standards, with the exception of Sindh3 for fine particulate matter PM2.5 at 40 μg/m3 for annual and 75 μg/m3 for 24-hours averages.
The responsible Environmental Protection Agencies are:
- Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA)
- Environment Protection Department, Punjab (EPD)
- Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)
- Environmental Protection Agency, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (EPA-KP)
- Balochistan Environmental Protection Agency (BEPA)
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir Environmental Protection Agency
- Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GB-EPA)
Footnotes
- The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency was established under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 which also establishes the equivalent Provincial Agencies. https://environment.gov.pk/SiteImage/Misc/files/Act/PEPAct97.pdf. ↩︎
- Pakistan National Environmental Quality Standards for Ambient Air. The Gazette of Pakistan, 26 Nov. 2010, https://environment.gov.pk/SiteImage/Misc/files/Rules/SRO2010NEQSAirWaterNoise.pdf. ↩︎
- Sindh Environment Protection Agency. Sindh Environmental Quality Standards. 28 Jan. 2016, https://epa.sindh.gov.pk/files/EPA-Sindh/Rules/SEQS%202016.pdf. Additionally, they allow that the annual average limit of 40 μg/m3 or background annual average concentration plus allowable allowance of 9 μg/m3, whichever is lower.
↩︎