[Source: Reuters]

As smog again settles over large parts of South Asia, Pakistani authorities are widening a crackdown ​on illegal stubble burning they say is fuelling 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, fuelling ​a toxic mix of industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and construction dust that lingers under cold winter air, driving pollution to hazardous levels.

The unit ​is the first of its kind in Pakistan dedicated to fighting pollution, officials say, and it is one of ⁠the most visible steps in a campaign that Punjab officials claim is working.

Satellites have detected less burned area in India and Pakistan than the historical ​average at this point in the year, even as many locals in Pakistan say they struggle to notice improvements.

Silwat Saeed, chief of the ​Environment Protection and Climate Change Department in Pakistan’s Punjab, said the government this year formed a 750-member force in 67 rapid-response units across major rice-growing districts.

Teams aim to reach reported field fires within 10 to 15 minutes. Officials also patrol paddy areas for signs of burning, while complaints can be lodged locally, said Ashfaq Hussain, a deputy director of the force.

“We receive ​complaints through multiple channels and respond to them in the shortest possible time,” he said.

In a single 24-hour period this week, the department received ​679 field fire reports from across Punjab and said it extinguished 650 of them.
Violators face fines, arrest or both.

Farmers caught burning stubble face fines of 15,000 Pakistani rupees ($54) ‌per ⁠acre, said Muhammad Farooq, an assistant director of the Punjab Agriculture Department.

Those who fail to pay the fines can also face prosecution and a possible jail term of up to six months.