Deputy Director Environment Ali Imran Malik said that 112 brick kilns have been sealed over violation of the government instructions regarding smog during a crackdown launched across the district. He expressed these views while talking to media on Thursday.
The deputy director confirmed that all the old technology brick kilns and polluting industries were shut down by the authorities as per the directions of the Punjab government.
“Only brick kilns that have employed the zigzag technology have been allowed to work in the area,” Ali Imran pointed out.
He maintained that Air Quality Index (AQI) was 149 in the area which was normal, adding that there was no smog blanket due to the adoption of all precautionary measures in the district.
It is worth noting that the environmental experts consider an AQI between 100-150 ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’.
On a question regarding conversion of brick kilns to the new zigzag technology, he said the Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) was conducting meetings with the brick kiln owners to convince them to adopt the new technology for the sake of health and wellbeing of citizens.
Ali Imran added that the EPD teams were regularly monitoring the closed brick kilns to ensure strict compliance of the government policy.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2020.
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