ISLAMABAD — As smog again settles over large parts of South Asia, Pakistani authorities are widening a crackdown on illegal stubble burning, which they say is fuelling the region's annual pollution crisis. On Thursday, officers of a new quick-response unit swung off their vehicles at a paddy field on the edge of Lahore.
Smoke curled low over the stubble, and the crew had the fire under control within minutes, keeping it from adding to the haze over a city that Swiss group IQAir rated “very unhealthy“ earlier this week. Farmers in the region commonly set leftover rice residue alight after the October harvest, fuelling a toxic mix of industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and construction dust that lingers under cold winter air, driving pollution to hazardous levels. Punjab cities The unit is the first of its kind in Pakistan dedicated to fighting pollution, officials say, and it is one of the most visible steps in a campaign that Punjab officials claim is working.
Satellites have detected less burned area in India and Pakistan than the historical average at this point in the year, even as many locals in Pakistan say they struggle to notice improvements. Carrot and stick approach Silwat Saeed, chief of the Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, said the government this year formed a 750-member force in 67 rapid-response units across major rice-growing districts. Teams aim to reach reported field fires within 10 to 15 minutes.