Lahore: Under the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, operations to combat smog are ongoing across Punjab, including Lahore; activities such as water spraying via smog guns and road cleaning are currently underway in the city.
Round-the-clock monitoring by drone squads, night squads, and ‘Hawk-Eye’ field squads continues, with immediate action taken upon the identification of pollution sources.
Over the past 24 hours, 241 industrial units and 335 brick kilns were inspected across Punjab. Five industrial units and five kilns were sealed, one kiln was demolished, and one FIR was registered; fines totaling PKR 1.21 million were imposed on polluters.
During a crackdown on plastic, 290 locations were inspected; 52 notices were issued, one location was sealed, and 661 kilograms of substandard plastic were confiscated.
Inspections of 157 commercial cooking points resulted in the installation of 53 suction hoods and the sealing of 15 locations.
An awareness campaign to discourage farmers from burning crop residues is also in progress, 2,923 farmers were contacted in a single day, and 1,435 farmers participated in 68 training programs.
In Punjab, out of a total rice cultivation area of ??6.332 million acres, sowing has been completed on 769,000 acres; 1,259 Kubota machines are operating on 319,000 acres, while 187 balers are active across 96,000 acres.
More than 10,000 Super Seeders are currently in use across Punjab, with a target set to introduce another 3,000 during the current fiscal year; of these, 1,980 have already been supplied, while 921 are under production.
Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stated that monitoring, prevention, and field enforcement measures to combat smog are proceeding simultaneously.
She urged farmers not to burn crop residues and citizens to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy before driving them, while calling upon industrialists and brick kiln owners to strictly adhere to SOPs, failure to comply will result in legal action.