Key Takeaways
- Director General of Punjab EPA, Abdullah Nayyer Sheikh, conducted a surprise inspection of Quick Response Units (QRUs).
- The inspection aimed to ensure operational readiness and prevent crop-residue burning during the rice-harvesting season.
- 67 QRUs are deployed across 10 hotspot districts to respond to incidents of stubble burning.
Director General of the Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Abdullah Nayyer Sheikh, conducted a surprise inspection of Quick Response Units (QRUs) deployed along motorways to prevent and control crop-residue burning. The inspection was part of the province’s intensified anti-smog preparations, focusing on ensuring the teams remain alert and ready to respond immediately to incidents of stubble burning.
During his visit to the Gujranwala-Sialkot Motorway in Gujranwala Division, Sheikh inspected the deployment and functioning of the response units and found all the Quick Response Units parked at their designated locations with staff present. The inspection was aimed at ensuring that the teams remained alert, properly positioned, and ready to respond immediately to incidents of stubble burning, which can significantly contribute to air pollution during the rice-harvesting season.
The deployment of response teams along major motorway corridors is intended to enable rapid intervention at stubble-burning hotspots and strengthen surveillance of areas vulnerable to violations. The discussions focused on monitoring rice-harvesting activities, identifying potential stubble-burning incidents, and ensuring timely communication between field teams responsible for preventing agricultural fires.
The DG also inspected a Kabuta machine used for rice harvesting to assess harvesting practices and related arrangements in the field. The interaction with agriculture officials was aimed at strengthening coordination between harvesting operations and environmental enforcement, particularly in areas where the disposal of rice residue can become a major source of seasonal air pollution.
Punjab EPA has deployed 67 Quick Response Units equipped with fire browsers attached to tractors across 10 hotspot districts to respond to incidents of stubble burning. The units are designed to reach agricultural fields and other affected locations quickly, enabling field personnel to extinguish fires and prevent them from spreading.
The operational strategy combines fire-anomaly detection, drone surveillance, and physical patrolling by EPA personnel along motorways to identify crop-residue fires and facilitate a rapid response. Information gathered through surveillance is intended to help teams pinpoint potential fire locations, while patrolling staff provide ground-level monitoring and assist in reaching affected sites.
During the past three days, surveillance and monitoring activities have been used to identify stubble-burning incidents and coordinate responses by field personnel. The combined use of technology and on-ground enforcement is intended to reduce response times and prevent agricultural fires from continuing unchecked.
Timely intervention is particularly important during the rice-harvesting season, when the burning of agricultural waste can add to particulate pollution and compound the effects of unfavourable weather conditions. The deployment of dedicated response units across 10 hotspot districts is a key part of the province’s strategy to mitigate air pollution.
