Farmers, motorists warned against smoke emission

Lahore. Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has urged farmers not to burn crop residue, warning of strict action against violators. She stated that action would be taken against all sources generating smoke, while motorists had been advised to get their vehicles tuned regularly and keep them roadworthy. Since September 1, water has been sprinkled on roads in Lahore to curb dust. Repair and construction work on 21 road shoulders has been completed and action taken to ensure that construction material is properly covered. Authorities have planted 180 trees and taken action against illegal tree cutting in the city. With rice harvesting completed over 528,594 acres, a total of 1,259 harvesters, 187 balers and 10,000 super seeders are being used for crop-residue management. The provincial capital recorded poor air quality on Thursday. According to IQAir, the city's Air Quality Index was recorded at 194 at 9:30am, falling in the unhealthy category. High pollution levels were also recorded at different times in Faisalabad, Kasur, Sargodha and Gujranwala. Winds in Lahore blew from east to west at around 5km per hour. An increase in wind speed is expected to help disperse pollutants and improve air quality.