Following the directions of Punjab Food Authority Director General Captain (R) Muhammad Usman, food safety teams continued conducting the crackdown throughout Punjab against the vegetables irrigated with untreated wastewater on the second consecutive day, on Saturday.
The DG PFA has issued orders to the operation teams and vigilance cell to launch an operation against farmers who violating the rules of the PFA Act and growing poisonous vegetable crops. The operation was conducted in the various villages and cities of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan regions.
In a daylong operation, enforcement teams of the PFA inspected overall 12,000 kanal land at where crops have been cultivated. DG PFA Muhammad Usman said that teams have discarded thousands of kilograms unhealthy vegetable crops by plowing on 1,300 Kanal land across Punjab owing to irrigated with untreated wastewater of sewerage and industry. Breakdown the statistics, he told that industrial waste and sewerage water treated vegetables were cultivated on the area of 560 Kanal in Lahore Region, 576 Kanal in Rawalpindi Region and 144 Kanal in Multan Regions which routed out by teams.
He said that PFA has discarded different crops including brinjal, pumpkin, cauliflower, spinach, potato and onion during the operation. He informed that authority was examined 1,136 Kanal land and destroyed a huge quantity of vegetables grown with sewage on 250 kanal, yesterday. He further said that farmers are cultivating vegetables mostly with Tubwell water which is a good gesture of change in society. He said that chemically treated vegetables are source of hepatitis and other diseases for its consumers which is not accepted to PFA at any cost. He said that strict action would be taken against violators (farmers) in the next phase.
PFA has been already declared red zone areas where tubewell water or irrigation system is not available, he said and adding that farmers can cultivate only alternative / non-edible crops in the red zone areas like bamboos, flowers and indoor plants and used sewerage water for irrigating purpose. We have a need to make a joint policy for the complete elimination of wastewater treated vegetables in Punjab for which PFA doing work on it in collaboration with irrigation, agriculture and WASA.