Cleaning Pakistan's Air : Policy Options to Address the Cost of Outdoor Air Pollution

Pakistan's urban air pollution is
among the most severe in the world and it engenders
significant damages to human health and the economy. Air
pollution, inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene
are the top environmental priority problems in Pakistan.
Industrialization and urbanization, in conjunction with
motorization, can result in further deterioration of urban
air quality. This book examines policy options to strengthen
the Pakistan clean air program (PCAP) to better address the
cost imposed by outdoor air pollution upon Pakistan's
economy and populace. The approach provided in this book
recommends that the federal and provincial environmental
protection agencies (EPAs) take on a limited number of high
return, essential, and feasible interventions drawn largely
from the PCAP. The objective of this book is to examine
policy options to control outdoor air pollution in Pakistan.
The findings of the analysis aim at assisting the Government
of Pakistan (GoP) in the design and implementation of
reforms to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
Pakistan's ambient air quality institutions. The
overarching theme of this book is that prioritizing
interventions is essential to address the cost of outdoor
air pollution, given current resource limitations. The book
also includes a review of secondary sources, focusing on
recent analysis of the effects of different air pollutants
on human health, as well as lessons learned from ongoing
regional and international efforts to improve ambient air
quality. This book has seven chapters. Chapter one gives
overview. Chapter two identifies major trends in ambient air
pollution, including concentration levels of main pollutants
and the identification of principal sources. Chapter three
examines the evolution of Pakistan's air quality
management (AQM) framework over the period 1993 to 2013.
Chapter four examines options to control air pollution from
mobile sources, the main contributors of several air
pollutants, including noxious fine particulate matter (PM)
and its precursors. Chapter five addresses measures to
tackle pollution from industrial sources. Chapter six
identifies synergies of interventions for air pollution
control and climate change mitigation. Chapter seven
summarizes the main conclusions of the book.