As smog hangs over Lahore, Pakistan’s new pollution squad races to douse stubble fires

LAHORE: As smog again settles over large parts of South Asia, Pakistani authorities are widening a crackdown on illegal stubble burning they say is fueling the region’s annual pollution crisis.

On Thursday, officers of a new quick-response unit swung off their 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 “very unhealthy” earlier this week.

Farmers in the region commonly set leftover rice residue alight after the October harvest, fueling a toxic mix of industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and construction dust that lingers under cold winter air, driving pollution to hazardous levels.