Who can forget the unforgivable smog that had contained toxic substances and affected many parts of Pakistan and India in last year winters? Due to that heavy smog, people got lots of diseases including eye infection. This time, while everyone is praying not to face that situation again, NASA shared an image of extensive crop burning exercise that is taking place in Punjab, near Lahore.
According to the images from the satellite of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the activity is taking place near to Lahore, it means this time Lahore has greater chance to get smog.
Although the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has forbidden any this kind of practice, but it continues to happen frequently around this time of the year.
On the other hand, burning crops not only impact the environment both within the country and other neighboring countries but a great loss of vital nutrients and large volumes of greenhouse emissions also occurred.
The crop burning is responsible for the smokers’-lounge situation that emerges every year in Lahore and similarly other areas of Punjab owing to a grave layer of smog. The time span of this heavy smog starts from the last week of October and it lingers to mid-November every year.
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Apart from putting ban on the crop burning, authorities also announced to launch awareness campaigns along with legal and disciplinary action. Yet, the fires go unchecked up till now.
Why crop burning is a common practice in India and Pakistan?
The practice of crop burning or the stubble burning is a planned burning of the leftover straw that farmers do to get the fields ready for the next harvest in less time. They have no resources or equipment to do this other way.
This practice has been pretty common in both countries India and Pakistan for ages. Moreover, according to farmers, it is useful to improve the fields’ health.
In Pakistan, farmers burn the crop’s left over from the harvest of paddy fields instead of getting rid of it through other means. The purpose behind this move is to prepare fields for the wheat cultivation.
Each year, NASA satellite reveals a huge number of fires against the border of Pakistan and India. But, the real culprit of this smog is India as fires in Pakistan have no comparison with India. India burns 32 million tons of crops residue yearly.
What will be the situation this year?
Owing the current situation, the country is expecting its usual spells of smog that will soon surround the cities, towns, and villages, particularly in Punjab and Sindh. The situation is going to worsen if the ongoing crop burning is not stopped.
However, the smog that last year took over the Lahore, its reason was traced back to the heavy crop burning in India.
