Crop burning going unchecked in Punjab despite smog risks: Zartaj
She regretted that there was weak coordination among the academia, experts and farmers
ISLAMABAD (APP) – Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Monday said the crop stubble burning was continuing in Punjab despite smog as no authority had been monitoring the situation.
She said: “I recently travelled on motorway from Dera Ghazi Khan to Islamabad where the stubble burning is going on without any restriction.”
She was addressing the Climate Change Adaptation Conference as chief guest here.
Zartaj said the prior regimes made pathetic overlapping of institutions that hampered their efficacy and capacity to cope with multi-dimensional issue like smog. Smog was not a one day phenomenon rather it developed over a period of time.
She regretted that there was weak coordination among the academia, experts and farmers who were directly affected due to climate change.
During the prevailing smog season, no expert was available to guide over the issue whereas Lahore got affected severely due to air pollution as 70 percent of its tree cover was removed over the past 15 years, she added.
AirVisual approached me, the minister said to buy its air purifying gadgets which I declined to do so, however, it created hue and cry over the media through its false data that projected 1200USAQI at Wagha against the 350 AQI of Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD). The 1200 USAQI had never happened in the world that AirVisual reported in Lahore at Wagha, she added.
As a result of the panic created by AirVisual data for Lahore it managed to sale its air purifiers in the public, she said.
“We are over polluted, populated and urbanized country where we have to tackle climate change within the available limited resources with increased number of population,” said Zartaj Gul.
She said we needed to mobilize academia, experts and researchers to approach the farmers at their basic level for providing them latest information and technological practices to grow climate resilient crops.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had initiated Clean Green Pakistan Index in 19 cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to begin a behaviorual change in the public for better and clean Pakistan, she added.
