From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Sunday announced that 100 percent of brick kilns in the province were converted to zig-zag technology in a bid to overcome air pollution and smog. Taking to Twitter to make the announcement, the chief minister said that smoke from the brick kilns was a cause of major air pollution issues in the province especially in the surroundings of Lahore.
“We have to close down these brick kilns during the four months of winter previously,” the chief minister said as smog covering Punjab cities during winter has remained an important cause of concern for the provincial authorities. He said that owing to the efforts of the Punjab government, all 7,986 brick kilns have been shifted to zig-zag technology, which will help in reducing the carbon emission to 60 percent.
The chief minister also shared a map, showing the presence of kilns on it that are converted to the new technology. The smoke from the brick kilns previously has led to causing smog onwards from the month of November, leading to low visibility which results in scores of road mishaps, disturbance in flights and train schedules, etc.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Sunday in an exclusive discussion appreciated the Punjab government for its great accomplishment against environmental challenges on the direction of the Prime Minister to purge the province from the menace of hazardous smog creating conventional brick kilns.
Amin said conversion of around 8,000 brick kilns across the province to ZigZag technology which was 100 per cent of the existing kilns to environment friendly technology was a great achievement. He said efforts had been continued since 2017 but faced many challenges whereas the Punjab government has achieved this goal through continuous hard work of last six months.
“All 8,000 smog kilns have been converted to modern technology. The new technology will emit 60 less carbon emissions and help safe 30 per cent more savings for kiln owners,” Malik Amin Aslam said.
He urged that the rest of the provinces should follow the example of Punjab and use Zig Zag technology to contain dark emissions causing serious pollution and respiratory diseases among the masses. The PM s aide mentioned that the government has provided subsidy for adopting latest technology.
