Lahore: The provincial government on Monday launched its ‘Punjab Green Development Programme’ worth USD 273 million, a news source reported. As per officials, the purpose of this initiative is to curb environmental pollution — including smog — levels in the province.
Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar expressed his views on the matter during his meeting with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam held at the Chief Minister’s Office.
Buzdar said that the provincial government recently imposed a ban on stubble burning practices in Punjab, and ordered the owners of traditional brick kilns to get their business operations shifted to zigzag technology in order to reduce air pollution.
Further, the officials concerned had established six monitoring units to scrutinise air quality. An additional 30 of these units will be established across the province along with 15 water quality monitoring stations.
The CM suggested that a committee be setup to supervise the steps being taken to overcome air pollution and smog. This committee should consist of minsters and experts from the private sector, and would be tasked with ensuring the implementation of the required actions, he added.
