Punjab rolls out 'Hawk Eye' surveillance

Express Tribune

21-04-2025

The Punjab Environmental Protection Department has launched Pakistan's first aerial surveillance initiative by establishing a dedicated drone-based monitoring company.
The innovative step, spearheaded by Director General Environment Imran Hamid Sheikh, is part of the cutting-edge "Hawk Eye Project," which formally commenced aerial environmental monitoring across the province.
According to department officials, thermal technology-equipped drones and a specially trained GIS wing have been deployed in the field.
These advanced drones will not only identify industries and entities engaged in environmentally harmful activities but will also provide oversight on the performance of field staff, ensuring accountability.
DG Imran Hamid Sheikh stated that under the Hawk Eye Project, a comprehensive e-mapping of all industries and brick kilns across Punjab has begun. He emphasised that aerial surveillance would allow for real-time detection of environmental violations, significantly improving enforcement mechanisms.
During the project's inaugural surveillance operation, the GIS team identified three active pyrolysis plants in the Mehmood Booti area of Lahore. A detailed report was immediately submitted to the DG Environment, and an explanation will be sought from the Lahore field office regarding the matter.
Furthermore, the team discovered four other industrial units and an empty plot containing hundreds of sacks filled with carbon. Experts have warned that such carbon stockpiles pose significant environmental risks and require urgent action.
Authorities assert that the Hawk Eye Project represents a groundbreaking step in environmental monitoring and marks the beginning of a new era in environmental governance in Punjab.
Meanwhile, terming it a "defining moment" in the provincial government's efforts to combat climate change challenges, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the launch of Pakistan's first-ever smart environmental protection force was a bold leap toward a cleaner, greener and climate-resilient future.
"Equipped with drone surveillance, real-time AQI monitors, mobile labs, and specialiSed squads across key sectors—industry, water, plastic, agriculture, transport, and fuel—this pioneering Force is committed to rapid response, accurate enforcement, and sustained air quality improvement," she said in a post on 'X'.