Punjab’s Environment Protection Department demolished 197 substandard brick kilns and sealed 163 others in a month-long anti-smog crackdown, as part of a wider campaign against industrial pollution, crop-residue burning and construction dust. According to the department’s figures, a total of 11,580 brick kilns were inspected across the province between 28 September and 27 October 2026. Action was taken against kilns found violating environmental regulations, with 162 cases registered and fines totalling Rs40.7 million imposed. The campaign against industrial pollution covered more than kilns alone. Authorities inspected 6,650 industrial units, demolished 22 and sealed 191. A total of 333 smog notices were issued over violations, while 15 cases were registered and fines amounting to Rs28 million were imposed. To control emissions from industrial units, authorities are also monitoring the installation of suction hoods, which capture dust and smoke at source. Under that initiative, 4,204 industrial units were inspected, while 333 locations that failed to comply with environmental requirements were sealed. The overlap between the two sets of 333 figures — smog notices issued and locations sealed over suction-hood compliance — is reported as given by the department, and readers should not add the two together as if they were separate totals without checking the department’s breakdown. The department also continued its crackdown on the burning of plastic. Officials inspected 6,064 locations and confiscated 45,100 kilogrammes of plastic. A further 152 locations were sealed over violations. Measures to control construction dust were carried out in 397 union councils across Punjab, with mist sprinklers installed at 49 locations. Meanwhile, 67 quick response units remain operational in agricultural areas to prevent the burning of crop residues. Violations are being identified through satellite and field monitoring, while anti-smog guns continue to be used in Lahore to settle airborne dust. The crackdown comes as Punjab’s cities again record some of the world’s worst air quality. Lahore topped the global major-city ranking early on 29 October with an Air Quality Index of 298, while Multan recorded 649 and Faisalabad 346 in the Pakistan city ranking. Brick kilns are only one source among many — vehicles, industry, construction dust and crop burning all contribute — but they are among the most visible and most frequently targeted in the annual smog season. Enforcement figures alone do not show whether air quality has improved, and the department’s release does not claim a measured fall in pollution from the demolitions and seals. What it does show is the scale of inspection activity in the month before the smog season’s peak: more than 11,000 kilns and more than 6,000 industrial units visited, with hundreds of closures, cases and fines following. For kiln owners and industrial units, the message of the campaign is that substandard operations face demolition or sealing rather than warnings alone. For residents, the practical test will be whether the readings in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and other cities fall as the season progresses, and whether the measures are sustained beyond the current crackdown period. Sources: Punjab Environment Protection Department figures as reported by Dunya News.
Punjab’s Anti-Smog Crackdown: 197 Brick Kilns Demolished, 163 Sealed in a Month
