Euro 2 in Pakistan, A Decade!

It has been 10 years since the Euro 2 emission standards were officially enforced in Pakistan. Like various other fields, Pakistan lags far behind in terms of fuel & emissions as obsolete Euro-2 petrol is still being consumed in the country when others have gone way ahead. The vehicles including 2- and 4-wheelers are also compliant to Euro-2 emission standards when the world is about to leap to Euro-7.

Although in June 2020, government approved the decision to shift petrol and diesel from Euro-2 to higher quality Euro-5 standards. The petrol was upgraded in August 2020 whereas diesel standards were uplifted in January 2021. Most of the oil refineries however, are still in process of upgrading the plant to produce higher quality fuel. Many companies are still producing Euro-2 petrol, considering which Punjab government decided to impose an embargo on supply of Euro-2 fuel in Lahore during the smog season of 2021. The government directed the Lahore division commissioner to ensure supply of only high-quality fuel in the city, while instructing concerned officials to ask Euro-2 fuel producers to upgrade themselves. The low quality fuel is considered to be a key reason behind alarmingly high level of environmental pollution in Lahore, and other major cities in Pakistan.