Punjab smog plan: 10,000 super seeders, 8,000 zigzag kilns, vehicle tests by 15 November

Punjab has handed farmers 10,000 super seeders at a 60% subsidy and converted about 8,000 brick kilns to zigzag technology ahead of this year's smog season, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference in Lahore on Friday 9 October, ProPakistani reported. For drivers, the date to note is 15 November: motorists have been asked to get their vehicles emission-tested by then.

Punjab smog plan 2026: the numbers

• Super seeders: 10,000 given to farmers at a 60% subsidy, so wheat can be sown straight into rice stubble instead of the residue being burnt. Kubota harvesters and other machinery are also being used to put crop residue to use.
• Brick kilns: about 8,000 converted to zigzag technology, all carrying QR codes; 709 more are fully mechanised. Cameras are being fitted on kiln chimneys to monitor smoke.
• Vehicles: 500,000 vehicles received emission certificates last year. A 1,000-strong enforcement force uses drones, cameras and digital monitoring.
• Smog guns: 15 working, with 15 more being bought for other districts.
• Departments involved: 12.
• Complaints: helpline 1373 for reporting smoke and burning.

What the government says changed last year

The minister said vehicle emission indicators fell 13% last year and pollutant levels across Punjab dropped 33%. She also said respiratory and lung illness cases fell 25% this year, and that schools and colleges stayed open through last year's smog season. These are the government's own figures; it did not publish the underlying data at the press conference, as reported.

Monitoring now runs through the Climate Safe City dashboard, Climate Watch and air quality monitors, which combine local, regional and international data on wind, temperature and sources. Local sources come first, the minister said, though smoke from across the border can also push readings up.

Vehicle emission test: what drivers in Lahore should do

1. Get tested before 15 November. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) runs mobile testing units at nine locations in Lahore, and private workshops are being brought into the certified testing system.
2. Fix visible smoke first. Smoke-emitting vehicles, including government vehicles, face action, and a buyback scheme for older vehicles is being prepared.
3. Report violators on 1373.

A car that burns oil or runs rich usually also burns more fuel; check yours with our fuel average calculator and see what it costs at today's petrol price.

Electric transport, dust and waste

• E-bikes: a scheme to give electric bikes to 100,000 students.
• Electric buses: 3,000 planned by next June.
• Construction dust: sprinklers are being installed at building sites.
• Burning: action against burning garbage, tyres and plastic; pyrolysis plants have been moved out of residential areas.
• Low-emission zones: planned for the most polluted areas.
• Waste plants: treatment plants planned for Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan.

Longer term, the EPA's reference laboratory and the Forest Department's GIS laboratory are being upgraded, and Punjab is working towards a target of 50 million trees along with small and recharge dams.

What it means for you

Lahore's smog season generally sets in from late October. The measures above aim at the four big sources the government lists: industry and kilns, vehicles, crop burning and construction dust. For a household, the practical steps are the emission test before 15 November, reporting burning on 1373, and watching official air quality alerts before planning outdoor activity for children and older relatives.