Punjab Government takes actions to Combat Smog

A crackdown will be launched against those causing air and environmental pollution (burning of crop stubble, garbage, and industrial, vehicular emissions) as part of Punjab government’s efforts to combat smog.

To ensure implementation of the order, Pakistan Horticulture Authority’s (PHA) respective offices in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, DG Khan and Rawalpindi have been instructed to check with private housing schemes within their respective cities. The society management or the organization is not just ordered to restore the greenbelts, but also to keep them maintained. For the projects where the green areas notified in the approved map are being used for other purposes, the authorities concerned have been instructed to restore them according to the map. Reportedly, the checking of private housing schemes have been started to implement the orders.

The environment secretary told the meeting that old BTK brick kilns would be closed from October to December and only the new zigzag technology brick kilns would be allowed to operate. Strict action would be taken against all violators, he added.

He said that the environment department had also banned construction of new brick kilns having the BTK technology. He said the ZigZag brick kilns would be allowed as they would reduce environmental pollution by 70% and use of coal by 30%.