‘Smog intensity to be lesser this year’

LAHORE: The intensity of smog will be lesser this year while Punjab government has already declared it calamity and Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) initiated compressive strategy to control it.

Senior member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Baber Hayat Tarar addressing a press conference here on Wednesday said that strict actions were initiated against the factors causing smog while district governments and five departments were engaged to control the smog and support the PDMA on it. PDA is increasing capacity of the allied departments to control the smog, he said.

He was accompanied by secretary environment Zahid Hussain and DG PDMA Khurram Umar Shahzad. The senior member said it was wrong impression that only burning of rice crop residuals was the major reason of the smog. Rather, the fact is that agriculture crops burning contributed only 8 percent to the smog while 12 percent was contributed from the crops burning of India, he said, adding traffic smoke was the major cause of smog in the Punjab and this is due to use of substandard fuels in vehicles.

He said traffic smoke was contributing 43 percent to smog and 25 percent from the industries and 20 percent from garbage burning. In the lights of this data, the Punjab government launched a crackdown on smoky vehicles, besides reducing the vehicles plying on roads. He said planning was underway to reduce the number of pick and drops vehicles in the public sector educational institutions.

Brick kilns of old technology will be close from November 7 to December 31 and the duration could be increased if needed, he said and added efforts were under way for shifting the brick kiln to zigzag technology by December 31. He said locust control committees would also be taken on board to control the smog to stop crop burning.