Lahore: Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Director General (DG) Tanveer Ahmed Wariach has announced that kilns operating on conventional technology in Punjab will be closed between November 5 and December 31, a news source reported. He also indicated that there was a possibility that this ban may be extended even further if the smog-conditions deteriorated during December.
The EPA DG shared this information while holding a press conference in Lahore on Thursday (Oct 30). Addressing the media, he stated that section 144 had been in effect in Punjab since October 1, and that legal action was being taken against individuals found to be involved in the burning of hay, rubber, and crop residue.
Additionally, the DG revealed that 12 anti-smog teams had been created for Punjab, whose purpose was to crackdown on any individuals or businesses trying to circumvent this ban. So far, they have managed to seal 117 industrial units, while another 193 have been served with red notices.
DG Wariach also shared details of certain factories and industries in several areas of Lahore, against whom the EPA had registered FIRs, as they had been directly responsible for causing pollution in the city. Furthermore, the EPA has set-up four stations in Lahore to monitor air quality, and have been quite diligent in scrutinizing their data to limit the rise of pollutants in the atmosphere.
