As Smog Hangs over Lahore, Pakistan’s New Pollution Squad Races to Douse Stubble Fires
A 750-member rapid-response force is targeting illegal fires, while officials say 679 reports came in and 650 were extinguished in 24 hours.
- Pakistani authorities are widening a crackdown on illegal stubble burning to combat Lahore's smog crisis, with the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department forming a 750-member force in 67 rapid-response units across major rice-growing districts.
- Farmers in the region commonly set leftover rice residue alight after the October harvest, fueling a toxic mix of industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust that lingers under cold winter air, driving pollution to hazardous levels.
- In a single 24-hour period this week, the department received 679 field fire reports and extinguished 650 of them, with teams aiming to reach fires within 10 to 15 minutes of notification.
- Violators face fines of 15,000 Pakistani rupees per acre, with failure to pay resulting in prosecution and up to six months in jail, according to Muhammad Farooq, assistant director of the Punjab Agriculture Department.
- Farmer Saleem Abbas said many still favor burning as the cheapest and fastest way to clear fields, while Pakistan continues raising the regional air quality challenge with India at international forums.
7 Articles
7 Articles
As smog hangs over Lahore, new pollution squad races to douse stubble fires
LAHORE: As smog again settles over large parts of South Asia, authorities in Punjab are widening a crackdown on illegal stubble burning they say is fuelling the region's annual pollution crisis.On Thursday, officers of a new...
As smog hangs over Lahore, Pakistan's new pollution squad races to douse stubble fires
As smog again settles over large parts of South Asia, Pakistani authorities are widening a crackdown on illegal stubble burning they say is fuelling the region's annual pollution crisis.
As smog blankets Lahore, Pakistani authorities have expanded their crackdown on the illegal practice of burning crop residues, which officials say is worsening the region’s annual air pollution crisis. Swiss agency IQ Air earlier this week described Lahore’s air pollution as “extremely unhealthy.” On Thursday, personnel from a newly formed rapid response unit got out of their vehicles at a paddy field on the outskirts of Lahore, where smoke from…
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