Compared with the last year, the burning of residues of crops by farmers in Punjab has come down by 65 per cent, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.
The comparison was made in an annual report released by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
As per the report, environmental rules were violated 838 times in different districts of the province last year. “However, a marked improvement was witnessed during the ongoing year as this year, the number of violations plummeted to 294,” the report added.
Out of 6400,000 acres of land, crops have been sown over 3600,000 acres, and the AQI, which last year had risen to 900, nosedived to 400 this year.
However, polluted winds blowing from India are increasing smog in Punjab.
On the other hand, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has claimed that the SUPARCO’s report is a proof of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s hard work and her environmental-friendly policies. “If we continue to work like this, we will see improvement in the air quality like the one witnessed in Chinese capital Beijing,” she has said, adding, “China and the UK have faced the issue of smog. But courtesy good strategy and right steps taken by both the country, they have managed to overcome the problem.”
Reporter: Samra Fatima