EPA Punjab launches skimming boat for Lahore Canal plastic waste removal

LAHORE: The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency on Friday launched its first skimming boat to collect plastic waste from canals and rivers, starting with a pilot operation in the Lahore Canal as part of efforts to curb water pollution.

EPA Punjab officials said the boat is fitted with a waste collection bin at the front and is intended to gather floating plastic from waterways. They said the pilot project in Lahore would be used to evaluate the performance of the technology before any possible extension to other canals and rivers in the province.

The launch was announced at a seminar in Lahore held to mark Plastic Bag Free Day. Parliamentary Secretary for Environment Kanwal Liaqat attended as chief guest, while EPA Punjab Director General Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh was the guest of honour. The event was attended by government officials, environmental specialists, industry representatives, civil society organisations, media personnel and other stakeholders.

Participants renewed their commitment to avoiding banned plastic bags and to supporting efforts aimed at environmental sustainability in Punjab. They said more than 50,000 business owners had pledged not to use prohibited plastic bags during the anti-plastic campaign. Officials also said enforcement teams had seized more than 600,000 kilograms of banned plastic and imposed fines of over Rs20 million on violators.

Dr Sheikh said practical steps were necessary to eliminate plastic pollution and stressed that commitments made during the campaign would need to be turned into action. He also said the EPA remained committed to removing banned single-use plastic bags from Punjab and that enforcement teams would continue action against violators across the province.

The director general further said the anti-single-use plastic campaign would be strengthened through technology-based and data-driven monitoring systems to improve enforcement and compliance. He urged the public to avoid using banned plastic bags and to support environmental protection measures.

He also said implementation of the Punjab Plastic Management Strategy 2023 was continuing, with the registration of producers, sellers, waste collectors and recyclers in progress to build a more effective plastic waste management system.

Kanwal Liaqat described field enforcement as a difficult but necessary national responsibility. She said environmental violations would not be accepted under any pressure or recommendation and praised the EPA’s field teams for their work in implementing environmental laws. She also called on citizens, industries, non-governmental organisations, media organisations and civil society groups to work with EPA Punjab to help make the province a plastic-free zone.

The seminar concluded with a joint pledge by participants that achieving a plastic-free Punjab required collective responsibility and active participation from all sections of society. Officials said the skimming boat represented an important step in the province’s continuing campaign to reduce plastic pollution and protect waterways.

Enforcement drive

The EPA has also stepped up efforts to create plastic-free zones in markets of major cities. In April, it announced that plastic bags measuring below 75 microns would be fully banned under a province-wide campaign against plastic pollution.

Official data shows the agency’s enforcement drive in 2026 intensified sharply between Jan 1 and April 27. During that period, the EPA carried out 3,612 inspections, confiscated 937,868kg of plastic bags, issued 189 notices, imposed Rs3 million in fines, sealed 26 premises and registered seven first information reports.

Officials said that despite stronger enforcement, continued use of plastic in peri-urban and rural areas remains a challenge.