Punjab EPA's Pre-Smog Action Plan 2026: What Its 32 Actions Mean for Kilns, Drivers, Restaurants and Schools

Punjab EPA's Pre-Smog Action Plan 2026 is a 32-point order signed on 5 July 2026 by the Director General, Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh. It tells EPA field officers what to inspect and by when: brick kilns and factories by 15 August, restaurant suction hoods by 30 July, stone crushers by 15 August, fuel stations, sand trolleys, construction sites and smoky trucks continuously, and school awareness sessions through September. It sets no new fine; the fines come from the Act and its rules.

We read the order, No. 507/PA/DG/EPA/2026, on the Environment Protection Department's site on 19 October 2026. It was made under sections 6(1)(t) and 5(4) of the Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997 and covers July to September. Most of its field actions are marked "continuous", which is why they are still being enforced now that the smog has arrived, with Lahore reading 265 on the official dashboard on the morning of 19 October.

The plan has seven parts and 32 numbered actions

The order groups its actions into seven headings, each with an officer responsible and a deadline. Three of the seven are internal, about meetings, equipment and reporting. The other four reach the public: inspection of pollution sources, transport and fuel, awareness, and health advice. The table below is the whole plan in one place.

Kilns, factories and stone crushers had until 15 August to be checked

Action 15 told every field Deputy Director and Assistant Director to issue pre-smog notices under the Act and the Smog Rules to industries and brick kilns by 15 August, on a specimen vetted by the EPA's legal wing. Action 16 required checks of emission control systems, CCTV connectivity, approved fuel and stack emissions in industrial units and incinerators by the same date. Action 17 was a scanning survey of all brick kilns for zigzag compliance and unique ID verification.

Stone crushers were on the same list, action 18, for dust suppression systems. Action 20 added a monthly scan of every district for pyrolysis plants, which burn tyres and plastic, and for carbon black bags, with the drone squad and field officers acting on what they find. What a kiln or factory owner should have ready is in the guide to preparing a brick kiln or factory for EPA smog inspections.

For an inspection after those dates, the notice has already been served, so an officer who finds a non-compliant kiln is past the warning stage. Penalties under the Act's section 17 and the Administrative Penalty Rules start at Rs 10,000 a day for the heavier offences.

Restaurants, construction sites and fuel pumps are on the list too

Action 19 required suction hoods in restaurants with open kitchens and barbecue outlets, checked by 30 July. It is the only action with a July deadline on the public side of the plan, which tells you how seriously the EPA takes charcoal smoke in Lahore's food streets. The details, and what a hood inspection looks for, are in the guide to restaurant suction hoods under the Pre-Smog Plan.

Action 21 sends field officers to under-construction sites on a continuous basis to check compliance with the EPA's SOPs for dust. The order does not print those SOPs. Action 22 puts the EPA's mobile fuel testing labs from Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi at fuel stations continuously, testing what pumps sell.

Trucks are caught on Safe City cameras and trolleys must be covered

Part IV is the transport part. Action 23 makes the Traffic Police and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority responsible for ensuring sand and clay trolleys are covered as the EPA's SOPs require. Action 24 has the EPA's smog wing issue direction slips to heavy transport vehicles identified emitting black smoke through PSCA camera surveillance. Both run continuously.

A direction slip gives the owner up to seven days to fix the vehicle and bring it back, with the registration book or licence held in the meantime, under the Motor Vehicles Rules 2013. The practical side for trolley operators is in the guide to covering sand and clay loads to avoid a direction slip. The separate traffic police drive against smoky vehicles, ordered in October, is in our report on the crackdown on smoke-emitting vehicles.

Schools get awareness sessions and precaution guidance, not closures

Action 29 sends field officers into schools, colleges and universities for awareness sessions in August and September. Action 32 has the EPA's monitoring director and the education departments disseminate guidance on masks, outdoor activities and school precautions during severe AQI episodes. Nothing in the order closes a school or changes a timing; that power sits with the School Education Department, and where its orders appear is in the guide to checking Punjab school closures for smog.

The carpooling direction to Lahore schools that followed in October came under this awareness and precaution heading, as set out in our report on the EPA's carpooling instruction to Lahore schools. Action 30 is the one residents see every day: regular AQI bulletins and public health advisories, which is the dashboard at aqi.punjab.gov.pk and its advisory text.

1. Check which row of the table above you fall in and read the matching guide.
2. If you run a kiln, factory, restaurant or site, keep your compliance papers where an inspector can see them.
3. If you drive a truck or trolley, cover the load and fix smoke before a camera does it for you.
4. If you are a resident, use the AQI dashboard and the EPA's 1373 helpline or the Green Punjab app to report smoke.
5. Do not expect the order to tell you a fine; the Act and the 2013 rules do that.

Crop burning is left to the Agriculture Department

The plan copies the Agriculture Department in but gives it no action of its own, and rice stubble burning does not appear in the 32 points. That enforcement runs under the Smog Rules 2023 and the Agriculture Department's own campaign, with the fine and the reporting line set out in the guide to crop burning in Punjab, and the subsidy for the alternative in the guide to the super seeder rental subsidy.

The order's own gap is dates. It runs July to September, yet most of its public actions are marked continuous and the smog season runs to February. The EPA has not published a successor order for October to December on its site as of 19 October, so this remains the operative plan. What the dashboard shows the plan is up against is in our report on Punjab's air quality on 10 October and the readings since.

Common questions

What is the Punjab Pre-Smog Action Plan 2026?

An EPA order of 5 July 2026 with 32 actions for July to September, assigning inspections, equipment checks, awareness work and health advisories to named officers with deadlines.

Does the plan set fines?

No. Fines come from the Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997, the Smog Rules 2023 and the Administrative Penalty Rules 2013. The plan tells officers what to inspect and when.

Does it close schools?

No. It provides for awareness sessions and guidance on masks and precautions. School closures and timings are the School Education Department's decision.

Which businesses were inspected first?

Restaurants and BBQ outlets, for suction hoods, by 30 July. Industry, brick kilns and stone crushers by 15 August.

How are smoky trucks caught?

Through Punjab Safe Cities Authority cameras, after which the EPA's smog wing issues a direction slip to the vehicle, under action 24.

Is there a plan for October onwards?

The EPD site showed none on 19 October 2026. The July to September order's continuous actions are still the operative instructions.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 19 October 2026. Every action number, deadline, responsible officer and the order's legal basis come from EPA Order No. 507/PA/DG/EPA/2026 dated 5 July 2026, read on the Environment Protection Department's site on 19 October 2026. The seven-day direction slip rule is from the Punjab Environmental Protection (Motor Vehicles) Rules 2013, and the Rs 10,000 a day floor from the Administrative Penalty Rules 2013, both on the same site. The Lahore AQI of 265 is from aqi.punjab.gov.pk at 3:00 am on 19 October. We could not find the EPA's SOPs for construction sites or trolleys, or any order covering October to December, and we did not observe an inspection.