ISLAMABAD: The government has started various measures to curb the spread of smog in Punjab, which is not only posing serious threat to humans but also has a negative impact on Rabi crop.
Spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Climate Change and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, while talking to Business Recorder, said that the federal and the Punjab government were making every possible effort to control smog in the province.
In this regard, a comprehensive operation is being conducted to seal, fine or impound polluting industries, brick kilns, and vehicles.
The officials further said that the government had directed the deputy commissioners and the assistant commissioners to take stern action against the people involved in burning tyres, plastic material, waste, use of substandard fuel as the government had banned it to deal with the increasing level of smog.
The government is determined to resolve the severe smog problems, which are resulting in causing various diseases.
Those violating the set guidelines will be put behind the bars.
A notification issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) stated that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the Punjab, and especially capital Lahore, was already deteriorating from "satisfactory" to "moderately and poorly polluted."
It noted that smog causes difficulty in breathing, respiratory tract diseases, and heart-related ailments, which coupled with the threat of the COVID-19 could exacerbate the province's casualty rate. The Punjab government, keeping in view the above facts; therefore, has announced new measures to curb smog, which is also referred to as Pakistan's "fifth season" and the provincial cabinet has also declared it a "calamity."
The government has directed all municipal authorities and waste management companies to sprinkle water on roads, streets and construction sites to curb "fugitive dust" from adding to the smog situation.
According to the notification, the government has taken following steps to control the smog: (i) banned burning of any type of crop residue, (ii) vehicles emitting visible smoke and pollutants falling into inadmissible limits would not be allowed to operate, (iii) all industries working without emission control system and contributing to a deterioration in AQI would not allow to work, (iv) all stone crushers operating without wet scrubbers will be banned till adopting required measures (v) burning of all types of solid waste, tyres, rubber, and plastics has been banned, (vi) Sale and use of all types of substandard fuels is prohibited (vii) All types of encroachments, which cause hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic on public roads including footpaths would not be allowed, (viii) Any kind of parking which may cause hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic would not be allowed, (ix) All types of activities without proper safeguard, which contribute in generating fugitive dust including uncovered and open dumping/storage of construction material will not be allowed, and (x) Transportation of construction material like sand, mud, cement along with any unauthorised activity which may contribute to formation of smog is banned.
Moreover, (i) all brick kilns plants built on date methodology will be closed from November 7, 2020 to December 31, 2020, (ii) All brick kilns built on zigzag methodology will be allowed to operate as per SOPs devised by the Environment Protection Department, (iii) All brick kilns have to be converted to the zigzag methodology by December 31, 2020, and (iv) No brick kiln built on methodology other than zigzag methodology will be allowed to operate after December 31, 2020.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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