Order for Smog Prevention Order | Complete Ban on Following Activities

 Order | Complete Ban on Following Activities | Board of Revenue Government of the Punjab | Provincial Disaster Management Authority | October 15, 2020

WHEREAS, there is recorded evidence of persistent deterioration in the Air Quality Index of the city of Lahore in particular and Punjab in general, from satisfactory level to moderately and poorly polluted levels, which is likely to cause breathing discomfort, respiratory tract diseases including asthma besides heart-related ailments amongst children and older adults specifically and the people of all age brackets in general;

1.  AND WHEREAS, there is a continuous trend of new Covid-19 patients throughout the province and further overlap of conducive conditions for respiratory tract diseases due to smog could exacerbate the casualty rate in the province of Punjab;
2. AND WHEREAS, it has been corroborated by the World Health Organization that 4.2 million people die every year as a result of exposure to ambient air pollution and Pakistan was declared as the second most polluted country during the year 2019;
3. AND WHEREAS, the August Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Hon’ble Lahore High Court have already directed the Government to take necessary remedial measures for control of smog;
4. AND WHEREAS, the Provincial Cabinet of the Punjab, in its 36th meeting, has declared smog as calamity under Section 3 of The Punjab National Calamities (Prevention & Relief), Act 1958, which has been notified vide Notification No.Smog-2020/10/Coord-1 dated 14.10.2020, hence it is mandatory to take all possible measures to contain and arrest the rapid deterioration of ambient Air Quality Index in territorial limits of the province of the Punjab;
5. AND WHEREAS, in my opinion, there are sufficient grounds to proceed under Section 4 (2) (h) of The Punjab National Calamities (Prevention & Relief) Act 1958, as an immediate preventive and speedy remedy and the directions hereinafter appearing are necessary to ensure public safety, conserve lives and preempt and mitigate the imminent threat of smog in the province of Punjab;
6. NOW, THEREFORE, I Babar Hayat Tarar, Relief Commissioner, Government of the Punjab, in the exercise of the powers vested in me under Section 4(2)(h) of The Punjab National Calamities (Prevention & Relief) Act, 1958, hereby order that there shall be a complete ban on the following activities in the territorial limits of the province of the Punjab:

• Burning of any type of crop residues.
• Vehicles emitting visible smoke and pollutants falling Into inadmissible limits.
• All industries working without emission control system and contributing to the deterioration in the Air Quality Index.
• All stone crushers operating without wet scrubbers.
• Burning of all types of solid waste, tyres, rubber and plastics.
• Sale and use of all types of sub-standard fuels.
• All types of encroachments which cause hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic on public roads including footpaths.
• Any kind of parking which may cause hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic.