Anti-smog drive yields fruitful results in Bahawalpur

MULTAN: The anti-smog campaign has yielded results and the air quality index (AQI) has dropped from 124 to 64 after launching crackdown on brick kilns, burning crops and industries contributing factors in smog in all the four districts of Multan division.

This was disclosed by Additional Commissioner Sarfraz Ahmed during an anti-smog task force meeting here on Wednesday. Deputy Director Zafar Mehmood said the department had served 170 notices to industries promoting smog while 63 FIRs were registered against the brick kilns for violating the rules and ban.

The environment protection department has registered 66 FIRs against the industries. The department has closed 98 per cent brick kilns in Multan district, he said. Deputy Director Agriculture Mian Manzoor Ahmed said the department had registered 19 FIRS on burning crops and conducted 1246 training sessions for the farmers. The department has trained 3881 farmers in training sessions and distributed smog threats pamphlets. Multan District Secretary Road Transport Tayyab Khan said that 100 smoke-emitting vehicles were fined while 300 vehicles were deeply examined to protect environment. Solid Waste Managing Company Director Anwarul Haq said the company had constituted a number of teams at union council level and 41 citizens were fined on burning garbage in the streets. Director health Dr Shahid Bokahri said that anti-smog counters were established at all the hospitals. Khanewal Deputy Commissioner Ishfaq Ahmed Chaudhry said that 11 FIRs were registered in the district against the brick kilns’ owners and burning crops.

Lodhran Deputy Commissioner Rao Imtiaz Ahmed said the district administration had closed 125 brick kilns and six FIRs were lodged against the violators. The district administration has stopped construction of six new brick kilns and ordered them to convert the brick kilns on Zig Zag Technology.

Vehari Deputy Commissioner Irfan Kathia said the district administration had challaned 129 smoke-emitting vehicles and eight FIRs were registered on burning crops in open fields.