Lahore: Special teams of the Punjab Agriculture department have been mobilized and placed on high alert to help control smog this year.
A spokesman of the Punjab Agriculture department said here on Friday that the department has already issued warning notices to rice growers, urging them to dispose of crop residues in accordance with official guidelines and use super seeders instead of burning rice stubble, which contributes to air pollution.
Under Punjab Chief Minister’s Clean Air Programme, 5,000 modern super seeders have been provided to rice growers in 35 districts at a 60 per cent subsidy, involving an allocation of Rs 5 billion. He said, “The initiative is aimed at promoting mechanised disposal of rice residues and discouraging their open burning.”
The department warned farmers that burning rice stubble damages organic matter in the topsoil and adversely affects soil fertility. Instead, growers have been advised to incorporate the residues into the soil after harvesting to improve its fertility and productivity.
Farmers carrying out manual harvesting have been advised to use rotavators to incorporate the residues into the soil, while those using mechanical harvesters should use disc harrows.
Alternatively, they can deep-plough the fields, broadcast half a bag of urea per acre and irrigate the land, spokesman added.
The department said these measures would help improve soil fertility and enhance the productive capacity of agricultural land.
