Farmers in the region set leftover rice residue alight after the October harvest, fuelling \u200ba toxic mix of emissions<\/p>\n
A man is silhouetted amid dense smog and air pollution in the evening in Lahore, Pakistan, November 10, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS <\/p>\n
As smog again settles over large parts of South Asia, Pakistani authorities are widening a crackdown \u200bon illegal stubble burning, which they say is fuelling the region’s annual pollution crisis.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, officers of a new quick-response unit swung off \u200ctheir vehicles at a paddy field on the edge of Lahore. Smoke curled low over the stubble, and the crew had the fire under control within minutes, keeping it from adding to the haze over a city that Swiss group IQAir rated \u201cvery unhealthy\u201d earlier this week.<\/p>\n
Farmers in the region commonly set leftover rice residue alight after the October harvest, fuelling \u200ba toxic mix of industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and construction dust that lingers under cold winter air, driving pollution to hazardous levels.<\/p>\n
Read: <\/strong>Lahore tops global pollution rankings as AQI crosses 500 in several Punjab cities<\/a><\/p>\n The unit \u200bis the first of its kind in Pakistan dedicated to fighting pollution, officials say, and it is one of \u2060the most visible steps in a campaign that Punjab officials claim is working.<\/p>\n Satellites have detected less burned area in India and Pakistan than the historical \u200baverage at this point in the year, even as many locals in Pakistan say they struggle to notice improvements.<\/p>\n Carrot and stick approach<\/strong><\/p>\n Silwat Saeed, chief of the \u200bPunjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, said the government this year formed a 750-member force in 67 rapid-response units across major rice-growing districts.<\/p>\n Teams aim to reach reported field fires within 10 to 15 minutes. Officials also patrol paddy areas for signs of burning, while complaints can be lodged locally, said Ashfaq Hussain, a deputy director of the force. \u201cWe receive \u200bcomplaints through multiple channels and respond to them in the shortest possible time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In a single 24-hour period this week, the department received \u200b679 field fire reports from across Punjab and said it extinguished 650 of them.<\/p>\n