Private schools in Lahore have initiated a carpool program aimed at reducing air pollution and alleviating traffic congestion during school hours in a response to the worsening smog crisis in the Punjab capital.
On the directions of the Environment Department, schools have started to inform parents about the initiative.
Under this program, instead of individual students arriving at school in separate vehicles, three to four students from the same neighbourhood will share one car. This effort is designed to decrease the number of vehicles on the road, thereby reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality.
The Environment Department has issued official guidance to private schools, following which the schools have started sending letters to parents, urging them to participate in the carpool scheme. The schools have urged parents to use one vehicle from one area.
The Environment Department says that during the opening and closing time of schools, air pollution levels tend to spike, as Lahore faces traffic jams during school hours. Its guidelines say that students coming from one area should use one vehicle.
