Pakistani authorities are expanding a crackdown on illegal stubble burning, which they say is feeding the region’s yearly pollution crisis as smog once again covers large parts of South Asia. On Thursday, officers from a new quick-response unit drove to a paddy field on the edge of Lahore, where they brought a blaze under control within minutes.
The quick response kept the smoke from adding to the haze over a city that the Swiss group IQAir had described as “very unhealthy” earlier this week. Farmers in the region often burn leftover rice residue after the October harvest. That practice, combined with industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and construction dust trapped by cold winter air, pushes pollution to hazardous levels.
Quick-response unit tackles stubble fires across Punjab
Officials say the unit is the first of its kind in Pakistan dedicated to fighting pollution, and it is among the most visible steps in a campaign that Punjab officials believe is working. Satellite data show less burned area in India and Pakistan than the historical average for this point in the year. Many residents in Pakistan, however, say they cannot see any improvement.
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Silwat Saeed, chief of the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department in Punjab, said the government had formed a 750-member force this year, organised into 67 rapid-response units across the main rice-growing districts. Teams aim to reach reported field fires within 10 to 15 minutes. Officers also patrol paddy areas looking for signs of burning, and complaints can be lodged locally.
Ashfaq Hussain, a deputy director of the force, said complaints arrive through several routes. “We receive complaints through multiple channels and respond to them in the shortest possible time,” he said. In one 24-hour period this week, the department recorded 679 field fire reports from across Punjab and said it had put out 650 of them.
Fines, prosecution and subsidised machinery for farmers
Those who break the rules face fines, arrest or both. Muhammad Farooq, an assistant director of the Punjab Agriculture Department, said farmers caught burning stubble face fines of 15,000 Pakistani rupees ($54) per acre. People who cannot pay can also be prosecuted and face a possible jail term of up to six months.
The government has also handed out more than 10,000 subsidised super seeders. It pays 60% of their cost, while farmers cover the remaining 40%. Muhammad Ismail, who farms 50 acres, said that moving away from burning to a subsidised super seeder and other machinery had significantly increased his wheat yield per acre.
Adoption is far from universal, however. Saleem Abbas, another local farmer who has stopped burning stubble, said many farmers still prefer the practice because it is widely seen as the cheapest and quickest way to clear fields for the next crop.
Hospitals fill as Pakistan and India trade blame
Over recent years, Pakistan and India have each accused the other of worsening the air. Saeed said the challenge is enormous for both countries and that Pakistan has raised the issue with Indian officials at international forums. India’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Patients have packed benches and corridors at hospitals in Lahore in recent days. Abdullah Nayyar, director general of the Punjab Environment Protection Department, said health department data show that smog-related throat hospitalisations last month were only at 69% of the level recorded in October 2025.
Not every patient sees the situation that way. At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Lahore, Ahmed Abubakar, a heart patient who has had a bypass and is diabetic, said the smog had triggered breathing problems and eye infections. Mohammad Niaz Butt, whose nose and throat were congested, was blunt about the problem: “They are burning it, and nothing is done about it.”
