Two Punjabs, One Atmosphere

Organizer: ICIMOD, U.S. State Department

REGISTRATION

About the workshop

Air pollution is a severe problem across South Asia, especially in the region around the Indo- Gangetic Plain. The Greater Punjab, located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, spanning across the borders of India and Pakistan, experiences high levels of pollution with similar sources, cycles, and impacts. This shared issue demands a transboundary collaborative approach, including a regional network of specialists working on various aspects of air pollution and knowledge sharing for optimal and broad scale results that benefit all. To address this gap, we are organizing this regional workshop in collaboration with the U.S. State Department to help develop pathways for dialogue and knowledge sharing for effective air pollution mitigation in the Greater Punjab region.

Objectives

This workshop aims to bring together researchers, practitioners and experts from diverse sectors and disciplines – air quality monitoring, health, gender equality and social inclusion, livelihoods, knowledge management and communication, as well as those working on brick kilns, open burning and transport sectors, and regional pollution issues like smog and fog – to share their knowledge and experience on air pollution, mainly in the Greater Punjab. The workshop will support the establishment of a network of specialists to assist in the development of a regional perspective that has the potential to influence decision makers across the Greater Punjab.

Expected outcomes

• Enhanced understanding of the current scenario of air pollution in the region
• Knowledge exchange on the challenges faced while working on air pollution issues in the region and potential solutions
• Air pollution mitigation opportunities and possible collaborative action

Topics for discussion

• Sources and drivers of air pollution across the Greater Punjab
• Potential targets for action for improved air quality
• Major challenges in planning and implementing mitigation action
• Suggestions for policy makers on how to address air quality issues
• Discussion on needs for joint/collaborative research and action
• Specific health and social impacts of poor air quality in the region
• Issues that need to be addressed in a Punjab specific consensus report
• Way forward

Background

South Asia, especially the region around the Indo Gangetic Plains, is a global air pollution hotspot. Air pollution is the biggest risk factor in mortality and morbidity in India and second biggest risk factor in Pakistan. The Punjab region – shared between India and Pakistan – faces similar air quality issues with emission sources such as residential biomass burning, transportation, industrial activity, power generation, open waste burning, agricultural practice (including open residue burning). Furthermore, crop residue burning is one of the most prominent air pollution emission sources across the region. Meteorological parameters drive dispersion and transport of pollutants across the region as well as inflow and outflow across the Punjab. Transport and transformation of emitted and then mixed pollutant plumes, in conjunction with stagnation caused by regional orography and wider atmospheric conditions at receptor sites causes severe air pollution episodes or haze events.

ICIMOD’s Regional Programme on Atmosphere

ICIMOD is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our Regional Programme on Atmosphere aims to improve understanding of air pollutant emissions, atmospheric processes and change, and impacts and promote mitigation and policy solutions while building awareness, capacity, and collaboration in the HKH and upwind regions. The programme aims to promote the adoption of effective measures and policies to reduce air pollution and its impacts within the HKH through improved knowledge and enhanced capacity of our regional partners. We are also involved in identifying, testing, and piloting mitigation solutions; capacity building and outreach; fostering regional collaboration and cross-border network building; and contributing to policy at local, national, regional, and global levels.

Agenda