LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) has once again warned the farmers not to set fire stubbles of their paddy after harvesting of the crop as smoke emitted from burning produces air pollution.

Burning paddy fields damages the organic matter in the top soil and affects soil fertility. Instead of setting the paddy fields on fire, increase the fertility by incorporating the stubbles into the soil. The spokesman of the Department advised the farmers to use rotavators in case of manual harvesting and a disc harrow in the case of machine harvesting to remove the crop residue. Apply half a bag of urea per acre by mixing it into the soil or by deep ploughing. This increases the fertility and productivity of the soil. Farmers should follow the instructions of the Agriculture Department regarding disposal of paddy husks as smog has direct negative impact on human lives.

The spokesman warned that a legal action is being taken against those who set paddy residue on fire.

He further said that Pakistan is one of the ten countries in the world that are suffering from climate change and air pollution. Smog is a dangerous type of environmental pollution. The gases in the stagnant air such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, methane, sulfur dioxide and hydrocarbon particles combine to form smog. Smog hurt humans, animals and plants. Smog remains suspended in the air and due to being close to the surface of the earth; it harms every living thing including plants. In case of excess of smog, the growth process of plants stops and this condition causes harm to human lives along with crops, gardens and causes a lot of damage to vegetables.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022