DCs to impose smog emergency

LAHORE:

As per the Lahore High Court’s direction, the Punjab government has finally decided to impose a smog emergency in the province, The Express Tribune learnt on Tuesday.

Acting Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal directed all the deputy commissioners to strictly implement the ban on the burning of crop residue and garbage under Section 144 and mobilise the revenue department officials to enforce the restriction.

Presiding over a meeting to review measures being taken to rein in smog across the province, he announced that the Central Control Room established in the environment department would be made fully functional from Wednesday.

Focal persons of the environment, agriculture, industries and other departments concerned will perform duties in the control room for monitoring the smog situation in the province.

The acting chief secretary instructed the authorities concerned to intensify the crackdown on vehicles and industries that are causing environmental pollution.

He underscored that only the brick kilns employing the zigzag technology would be allowed to operate in the province.

Sumbal also asked the environment department to ensure timely release of information to the deputy commissioners for action against those who burn crop stuble and underlined the need for inter-department coordination for effective and efficient monitoring of field activities to control pollution.

The role of deputy commissioners is also instrumental in controlling the smog problem and their performance in this regard would be reviewed regularly, he said.

It was decided in the meeting that all departments would obtain certificates for government vehicles under the Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS). The acting chief secretary said everyone, including government institutions and the civil society, should work hand in hand to overcome the smog. He also issued instructions to the agriculture department to improve its data collection system.

Briefing the meeting participants, Industries Department Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said seven anti-smog squads had been constituted for the inspection of industrial units, of which three are working in Lahore and one each in Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and Multan.

He said 428 brick kilns found operating using the old technology in the province had been sealed besides the registration of 226 cases and slapping fines of over Rs10 million.

Two special squads are working in Lahore for checking smoke-emitting vehicles. Police have registered 11 reports of burning crop residue in different cities. Seven cases have been registered in Pakpattan, two in Chiniot and one each in Okara and Khanewal.

The authorities have arrested nine people on charges of burning garbage, registered 72 FIRs and imposed fines of Rs3.7 million.

The administrative secretaries of various departments, the deputy commissioner of Lahore and other officers concerned attended the meeting while the deputy commissioners of Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Sahiwal, Gujranwala, Hafizabad and Narowal participated through video link.

On Monday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had declared the provincial capital a calamity-hit city and imposed a ban on all activities that cause smog across the province.

The authority had announced plans to constitute special teams to rein in increasing atmospheric pollution. It also decided to set up a crisis room in the PDMA office for efficient monitoring of the smog situation in the province.

The PDMA also proposed a ban on industries emitting black smoke besides binding educational institutes to buy their own buses to reduce vehicular emissions.

A notification warned that stern action would be taken against stubble burning and the deputy commissioner concerned would be held responsible. Vehicles and industries that pollute the environment will also be dealt with sternly. Smooth flow of traffic will be ensured and those responsible for encroachment and wrong parking will be dealt with an iron hand.

As part of the planned measures, smog advisories will be issued through the departments concerned.

Following the imposition of the smog emergency, the top brass of the city police had also been instructed to cooperate with the local administration in strict enforcement of the Section 144 to control pollution.

Real-time air quality data indicated that Lahore remained the most polluted city in the world on Tuesday with the US AQI rating ranging between 161 and 181. PM2.5 concentration in the city was recorded at 14.2 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value and unhealthy for humans and animals alike.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2022.