LAHORE : During anti-smog campaign, Environment Protection Department (EPD) has imposed Rs91.810 million fines on 11,124 brick kilns for not complying with zigzag methodology.
Figures collected from the EPA revealed that the department officials inspected 1,1124 brick kilns from August 1, 2023 till date and registered 721 FIRs and arrested 46 persons while 993 brick kilns were sealed for not implementing the zigzag methodologies.
The real difference between the traditional Fixed Chimney Bulls Trench Kiln (FCBTK) and the zigzag technology-driven brick kiln was that in the former the placement of bricks was done in a straight pattern, whereas in the latter the bricks were placed in a zigzag pattern.
Furthermore, the black smoke that comes out of the traditional brick kiln was due to inefficient burning of fuel, whereas the zigzag setting of bricks and continuous feeding of small quantities of coal improves fuel efficiency. As a result, the emitted smoke from the kilns employing zigzag technology was white-coloured and with significantly low air pollution levels.
EPD officials said so far EPA has imposed Rs91.810 million fine on 11,124 violators including which 283 brick kilns in Attock with fine imposed Rs18 million, Bahawalnagar 244 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,550,000, Bahawalpur 370 brick kilns fine imposed Rs1,750,000, Bhakkar 48 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs900,000, Chakwal 265 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs390,000, Chiniot 33 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs100,000, Dera Ghazi Khan 303 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs3,810,000, Faisalabad 513 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs4,600,000, Gujranwala 281 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,300,000, Gujrat 104 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs100,000, Hafizabad 200 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs900,000, Jhang 1107 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs5,360,000, Jhelum 145 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs800,000, Kasur 440 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,800,000, Khanewal 503 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs5,100,000, Khushab 2 brick kilns, Lahore 225 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,350,000, Layyah 168 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs900,000, Lodhran 380 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs2,400,000, MandiBahauddin 41 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs300,000, Multan 820 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,854,000, Muzaffargarh 544 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs4,400,000, Nankana Sahib 275 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs750,000, Narowal 249 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs600,000, Okara 723 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs3,650,000, Pakpattan 730 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,100,000, Rahim Yar Khan 244 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,900,000, Rajanpur 220 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs2,300,000, Rawalpindi 381 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,200,000, Sahiwal 344 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs400,000, Sargodha 486 with fine imposed Rs4,800,000, Sheikhupura 408 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs1,000,000, Sialkot 131 with fine Rs900,000, Toba Tek Singh 163 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs100,000 and Vehari 510 brick kilns with fine imposed Rs4,400,000. Talking to The News, EPA Director General Zaheer Abbas Malik said that the department was utilising all its resources to control the violation in the brick kilns operations.