Punjab demolishes 197 brick kilns in month-long smog crackdown

LAHORE: Punjab's Environment Protection Agency demolished 197 non-compliant brick kilns, sealed 163 units and registered 162 first information reports during a month-long crackdown on emissions ahead of the peak smog season, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The state news agency, filing from Lahore on Wednesday, said the campaign combined extensive field inspections with drone surveillance, special night squads and other targeted anti-smog measures to identify pollution sources. It gave the totals for the whole month but did not break the figures down by district, and did not say how many of the sealed units had since resumed work.

Dunya News reported that the demolitions come as Pakistan plans a $10 million clean-air fund. The outlet gave no further detail in its headline report, and Skardu Times could not independently establish the size, timing or financing of the proposed fund.

Brick kilns have long been identified as a major contributor to the winter smog that settles over Punjab, when low temperatures, calm winds and crop burning trap pollutants close to the ground. Lahore and other cities in the province routinely record hazardous air quality in November and December.

The APP report did not give comparative figures for the same period last year, so it was not possible to establish whether this month's enforcement was heavier or lighter than usual. It also did not name the districts where most of the demolished kilns were located, or say whether the structures were razed entirely or in part.

The report did not say what stage the prosecutions arising from the 162 FIRs had reached, or whether any kiln owners had been arrested. Nor did it carry a statement from the provincial environment minister or the agency's director general.

Punjab's brick kilns supply the construction industry across the province and in neighbouring regions, and seasonal shutdowns and demolitions have in past years drawn complaints from owners about losses and from labourers about lost winter work. The reports reviewed by Skardu Times did not address the effect of this month's action on production or employment.