Activities increasing smog intensity banned: minister

LAHORE:Punjab Minister for Disaster Management Mian Khalid Mahmood has said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has banned all activities that could increase intensity of smog due to climate change.

The minister said smog in Pakistan was usually caused by a mixture of smoke in fog due to a change in the humidity ratio in the air at the beginning of winter. Complete elimination of smog as a natural phenomenon cannot be claimed, but intensity of smog can be reduced by controlling human activities that increase the amount of smoke in atmosphere, he said. Top of the list is smoke from vehicles and industries, solid waste disposal and burning of crop residues for the cultivation of new crops. In addition to smoke, dust, dirt and other construction materials, including sand, gravel, cement, etc, also cause air pollution.

The Authority has been continuously monitoring all such activities. For this purpose, a regular cell has been set up in PDMA which is operational 24 hours a day. It is also taking legal action against those elements. About 100 percent of kilns in Punjab have been converted to ZigZag technology, said the minister while briefing the media at the end of a review meeting on anti-smog activities at PDMA. It has been decided that action will be taken against the chief officer of the area where the garbage will be set on fire. The Transport Department has been directed to remove the smoky vehicles from roads, the minister said. He said that the traffic police had also been directed to conduct awareness campaigns against the vehicles causing pollution.

PHA: In a move to combat smog, Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has imposed a ban on burning of green waste in the provincial capital. The directions were passed by PHA Director General Jawad Qureshi here Wednesday. He said that the PHA was conducting an anti-smog operation in the provincial capital and in this regard, a complete ban was imposed on burning of green waste. He said instead of burning green waste, it was being used as compost which would be used in other tree planting places, including PHA nurseries. He made it clear that strict action would be taken against PHA officials who violate this order. He sought the people’s role in the betterment of the environment and elimination of air pollution.