ahore has become synonymous with bad air quality, ominous smog, and now, extreme heat. One after the other, environmental challenges continue to plague the cultural capital of Pakistan.

Earlier this year, the recently revamped Environment Protection Department — now Environment Protection and Climate Change Department — unveiled its new ‘force’ and ‘enforcement’ authority with great pomp and show. At the “passing out parade” of this Environment Protection Force last month, a fleet of kitted-out SUVs and pickup trucks, among other vehicles, was unveiled marking the official entry of this department into enforcement territory. Some of the vehicles bear the EPA branding, which leaves questions about what the newly reshaped department (or force, or agency) actually is.

Its around 1,000 workers include 28 with PhDs, but how can a newly founded department make some waves if the ordinary Lahori isn’t impacted by it?

To answer this question, the EPCCD has come up with a vehicle emission test for millions of vehicles and implemented it almost overnight promising speedy and hefty fines for non-compliant vehicles. As many citizens abandoned daily routines to form long queues at just about a dozen testing centres, their cries finally made it to the corridors of power. The government has since extended the deadline (for free emission testing) till June 30.

What happens afterwards remains to be seen.

With more than 7.5 million vehicles - motorcycles, rickshaws, cars, vans and trucks - registered in Lahore alone, vehicle emission testing presents a massive challenge. Rolling this number of vehicles into a few testing centres within a month, or even two, is a mammoth task. It seems untenable; especially, considering the testing centres don’t operate round the clock. Even assuming that motorcycles and rickshaws use separate stations, testing 2 million vehicles in six months would require over 11,000 tests a day — an impossible bar, without massive investment and coordination.

The stations remain closed during public holidays. Numerous social media users are criticising the absence of clear information, timings and response from helplines; and expressing dismay at turning up at testing stations only to find no staff there. This scribe also visited two testing centres on May 28, only to find them closed. Long lines of vehicles were observed, with most people unaware that the station wouldn’t open, and patiently waiting for staff to show up.

The current testing is only valid till the end of 2025. This begs the question of the efficacy of the test, and it being done free, if it is to be repeated six months later, possibly under a paid model. Many citizens find the six-month expiry far too stringent, especially given unclear communication and appointment systems.

There have been obvious breakdowns in communication, notably the absence of digital advertising campaigns with clear instructions. There have been no proactive SMS alerts. Rapid changes in timings and locations of testing centres have made it harderfor the people. A cursory glance at the EPCCD’s Facebook page reveals minimal engagement, and unanswered queries under several posts.

Halfway through the campaign, the EPCCD declared vehicles manufactured post-2022 exempt from the inspection. It is astonishing to note that the government’s modern communication tools remain dormant while implementing a province-wide regulatory initiative that is to be followed with hefty fines. This also speaks volumes about the ‘robust’ thought process behind this policy. Buzzwords like “trailblazing” and “ground breaking” in press releases don’t do the public any good, especially when those in charge are unable to communicate the policy, exemptions and inspection centre timings in a cohesive manner.

The EPCCD must reconsider its six-month expiry mandate, extend viable testing windows, activate a transparent digital booking system (via website, app, and/ or SMS), and initiate a solid public-information campaign.

Given the extreme heat, with daily highs reaching over 45 °C, the practice of lining up in idling vehicles is environmentally irresponsible. Lengthy queues with running engines only worsen air quality and fuel consumption under peak sun. The system feels more punitive than constructive. Media reports and user experiences also suggest that these inspections rely on outdated tailpipe opacity meters, the efficacy of which is suspect.

It’s not that vehicle emission testing is unheard of, or hasn’t been implemented anywhere else. In China, vehicle emission inspections follow an age-tiered, closed-loop system. Private cars undergo emissions and safety checks biennially between 6-10 years of age; annually, between 10-15 years; and every six months once they hit the 15-year mark. This graduated structure stretches institutional capacity, focusing scrutiny on older vehicles.

Critically, if a vehicle fails the test, it must be repaired at an authorised maintenance station before it can return to the road. Across the border, in India, private vehicles undergo a fitness test at 15 years, then every five years thereafter. The commercial vehicles are examined every year.

Both China and India acknowledge that newer cars, including models with factory-fitted catalytic converters and compliant Euro-IV standards emit less polluting gases. Consequently, their vehicle emission testing systems prioritise older vehicles. This calibrated strategy greatly reduces the unnecessary testing burden. In both countries, digitally tracked records, widespread testing infrastructure and portable measurement systems have been implemented. In contrast, the EPCCD’s blanket, six-month window of validity, eclipses existing infrastructure and ignores vehicle heterogeneity.

These evident gaps raise serious questions about the new mandate, when thousands of older vehicles remain untested and unregulated.

An Asian Development Bank report, titled Vehicle Emissions in Asia: Policy and Guidelines, emphasises that effective inspection regimes need institutional capacity, digital enforcement and audited equipment to be effective. Without logging and monitoring, test centres turn performative, with little real-world pollution reduction. Age-stratified scheduling, phased rollouts and catalytic-converter exemptions are hallmarks of successful vehicle emission inspection programmes globally.

In the absence of these measures, the inspections policy undermines both environmental goals and citizen trust. The EPCCD must reconsider its six-month expiry mandate, extend viable testing windows, activate a transparent digital booking system (via website, app, and/ or SMS), and initiate a solid public-information campaign. Station management must gain urgent priority; displaying operational hours, holiday closures, appointment availability and average wait times is essential.

In view of the heat wave, perhaps, the department should schedule testing for cooler evening hours. Maybe, the department can go a step further and organise advanced scheduling in a staggered manner for vehicles by age: oldest first, newest exempt for the first phase.

A failure to adopt a calibrated, evidence-based approach will risk leaving Lahore’s air quality and the citizens’ trust in governance to continue to degrade. The current model is a fine example of confusion and chaos. The alternative is a data-driven programme that is feasible, scalable and equitable.

Ahmed Ahsan is a development sector professional with nearly a decade of experience in communications and reporting. He has supported the implementation of The World Bank’s Disaster and Climate Resilience Improvement Project and ADB’s Flood Emergency Reconstruction and Resilience Project in Pakistan