LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has called for “climate diplomacy” with India to mitigate smog impact in the province.

“Both Indian and Pakistani Punjab should undertake joint efforts to combat smog. Stubble burning in Indian Punjab impacts here because of air direction. This issue needs to be taken up with India forthwith,” she said at a climate change event here on Wednesday.

She said the Air Quality Index (AQI) was improving, but smog persisted not just from October to February but round the year. “Obstacles to environmental improvement must be removed. Smog causes breathing difficulties and damages eyesight,” the chief minister said, warning that smog became so severe that schools and offices had to be closed in the past.

“Multiple measures, not just one, are required to eliminate smog. Every home, every child, must understand the importance of ending smog. Ending smog is a matter of our children’s health and survival,” she emphasised.

Approves first smog action plan

“Smog cannot be eliminated by just pressing a button, it requires collective efforts. Every individual should understand the importance of addressing smog,” she said and added environmental leaders would be employed in the environmental sector to fully benefit from education and training.

She announced that smog awareness would be taught as a subject in schools. Besides, a smog awareness drive would be run in schools across Punjab from Oct 15 to Nov 15, she added.

“An end-to-end action plan has been designed to reduce smog. Warnings have been issued to brick kilns releasing black smoke, and those violating the warnings have been demolished,” she added while speaking at the Climate Change Leadership Internship Programme..

“We don’t want to destroy anyone’s livelihood, but we have to take action against those who harm the environment. Cameras have been installed near industrial chimneys, and surveillance is being conducted from a monitoring room. When smoke is detected, the control room immediately calls the industry,” the CM said, adding that digital inspections using drones and CCTV were also being carried out to monitor the situation.

The CM also announced allocation of one per cent of any development project funds for tree plantation. Trees would be planted along the sides of roads during construction and repairs. She also announced increasing the interns’ monthly stipend from Rs25,000 to Rs60,000.

“In the past, the environment department was treated as a defunct entity. The environment internship is not just a job, it’s a sacred responsibility,” she asserted.

Meanwhile, the first smog action plan for Punjab was approved at a meeting of the cabinet standing committee on smog mitigation and climate resilience, chaired by the CM.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2024