Environmental pollution: Farmers warned against stubble burning

LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Secretary Wasif Khurshid on Friday said that to mitigate the effects of smog, farmers should avoid burning of crop residual, rice stubble burning etc. The farmers should mix the crop residual into the soil through deep plough.

Wasif Khurshid disclosed that this year agriculture department will monitor and report burning of rice stubble on day-to-day basis and those who will found involved in this practice will found themselves in hot water because under Section 144, the Punjab government has imposed a ban on burning of crop residuals.

He said that Punjab is on the edge due to environmental pollution. Smog affects human health and people have to suffer in case of smog effects. He disclosed that it is recommended that air pollution must not exceed 80 microgram per cubic meter as per standard measures but if same exceeded to 200 microgram per cubic meter in multiple areas then this condition is known to be as smog.

Dense smog has adverse effect not only on human beings but also on the crops. Due to smog, photosynthesis process in leaves is also affected and plants cannot make their food. Plants, under the effect of smoggy clouds, cannot prepare necessary hormones for their growth and per acre yield of crops may be affected due to this situation.