Smog season 2026: what Punjab's kiln checks mean for your coal

What is happening this season

Punjab's Environment Protection Agency started its pre-smog drive early. By 13 October it had inspected 2,710 kilns, demolished 51, sealed another 51, registered 45 FIRs and collected about Rs 10.4 million in fines, according to figures reported by The Nation.

The pressure has been building all year. Between January and late July, EPA teams carried out more than 45,000 kiln inspections across the province and demolished 777 kilns, the Express Tribune reported in August. On 20 October Lahore's air quality index was above 250.

Zigzag is no longer optional

The EPA has said plainly that no kiln will be allowed to run without zigzag technology. The provincial government says around 8,000 kilns have already converted, out of roughly 10,000 in Punjab.

If your kiln is still a straight line (Fixed Chimney Bull's Trench) kiln, conversion is the first thing to sort out. No choice of coal will get an old design through an inspection.

What inspectors check

Teams look at the kiln design, the kiln's registration and QR code, the colour of the smoke from the chimney, and what is being burnt. Tyres, rubber, plastic and waste oil are what get kilns sealed fastest.

Black smoke is the visible problem. Neighbours can report it on the 1373 helpline, and a complaint usually brings a visit within days.

How the coal you buy affects the smoke

In a zigzag kiln, most black smoke comes from feeding too much fuel at once or from fuel that is wet or full of dust. Coal that is sized evenly and reasonably dry burns more completely.

For the main charge, Duki run-of-mine (about Rs 34,000 a tonne ex-Quetta) is what most Punjab kilns use. If you add fines (choora) to cut cost, feed them little and often rather than in large shovels, which smothers the fire and smokes.

Check moisture when the truck arrives. Wet coal steams first and smokes as it dries out in the fire, and you are paying for that water by the tonne.

Practical steps before an inspection

Keep your coal purchase bills and weighbridge slips on site. They show you are burning coal and not waste.

Train the firemen to feed in small, regular amounts. This one habit cuts more smoke than anything else.

Keep the QR code and registration papers where an inspector can see them, and fix any visible leaks in the kiln walls, which pull in cold air and hurt combustion.

If your kiln is sealed

Sealing orders come from the EPA under the Punjab Environmental Protection Act. The usual route to reopening is to fix the cause, apply to the district EPA office and pay any fine. Talk to your kiln owners' association, which deals with these cases every season.