Vehicle Emission is the Cause of Increased Particulate Matter at the Bottleneck Site in Lahore, Pakistan.

Abstract

Background: The Particulate matter (PM) emitted by heavy traffic is the major cause of pollution in the air. Lahore is Pakistan's second largest provincial capital and the most polluted city. This study was conducted to analyze the PM concentration in a heavy traffic site at Data Gunj Baksh Town in Lahore. Materials and Methods: PM concentration was analyzed from 15 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 by installing a low-cost PurpleAir sensor at the sampling site. Results: The maximum concentration of PM1.0 (341.73 ± 63.39 µg/m3), PM2.5 (1635.56 ± 152.85 µg/m3) and PM10 (2975.64 ± 286.79 µg/m3) was recorded in December 2021, while the minimum concentration of PM1.0 (10.475 ± 13.66 µg/m3) PM2.5 (16.29 ± 21.53 µg/m3), and PM10 (18.61 ± 25.34 µg/m3) were analyzed in October 2021. In comparison to the standard WHO guidelines, the measured levels of PM2.5 and PM10 are 109 and 66 times higher, respectively. Conclusion:  It is imperative to implement effective measures to reduce the air pollution, by implementing the legislation related to fitness of commercial vehicles so as to minimize the emission of the PM.