CDA has set October 20, 2025, as the final deadline for all brick kilns in Islamabad to adopt zig-zag technology, warning of strict legal action against non-compliant units to control smog and protect the environment.
CDA Issues Strict Deadline for Brick Kilns
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has given a 2025 October deadline in which all the bricks kilns that are running in the town of Islamabad must switch to the environmentally friendly zig-zag technology. The order will help prevent the air pollution and smog levels before the winter season. The kiln owners that never comply will be strictly punished by legal means such as fines, closure, and dismantling of the non-compliant units.
Meeting on Environmental Protection and Smog Control
The move was arrived at in a top-level conference on smog control and environmental protection, which was held under the chairmanship of CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa, and the Director General of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Nazia Zeb Ali. A deputy commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon and CDA board members were also present in the session. The meeting discussed measures to address the air quality degradation and discussed measures to be in line with national climate goals.
Enforcement and Legal Measures
The CDA made an official statement that all brick kilns and industrial units in Islamabad are supposed to implement modern and environmentally friendly ways of operation within a given time period. The authority threatened to sue those who do not comply. Approximately 30 kilns of brick are already at work in the capitals and most of them have already improved it to the zig-zag technology. Nevertheless, some of the kilns that are close to the boundary of Islamabad-Rawalpindi still work using the traditional means. According to the law, Chairman Randhawa ordered the enforcement teams to destroy any unit that does not comply with the Pak-EPA pollution standards.
Joint Coordination With Rawalpindi Administration
The chairman of the CDA requested the Rawalpindi administration to coordinate efforts with the CDA to control the kilns along the joint boundary. He also instructed that Pak-EPA, in cooperation with the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, should care about joint monitoring to make sure adherence. An expanded smog control program will be adopted in the whole of Islamabad and the reports on it will be submitted at regular intervals to the environmental task force.
Ongoing Anti-Smog Measures
The meeting was briefed by Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon who is busy in the fight against smog where vehicles emitting smoke, kilns that make bricks, and industries are constantly checked. Carbon emissions of vehicles are being monitored on a regular basis with real time data being indicated on an control digital dashboard. Emissions tests are being done in five certified labs, and other on-road inspection checkpoints are being established to enhance the enforcement.
Air Quality and Environmental Monitoring
Pak-EPA Director General Nazia Zeb Ali told the participants that there is an air quality monitoring station in Sector H-8 that has already been put in place. More monitoring stations are also being embedded throughout the Islamabad to record the correct Air Quality Index (AQI) readings. The CDA is also coming up with more stringent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in a move to offer compliance in future construction and industrial projects.
Crackdown on Open Waste Burning and Construction Dust
The construction sites were found to be the major contributors of smog through open waste burning and dust. The immediate ban on open waste burning was enforced under the leadership of chairman Randhawa and water sprinkling of all development and construction sites was ordered to mitigate airborne dust. The contractors and civic departments should also adhere to environmental rules and EIA guidelines, that he emphasized.
CDA’s Commitment to a Cleaner Capital
At the end of the meeting, the chairman Randhawa restated the CDA mission to ensure sustainable and clean environment. He emphasized the need to have coordinated effort between the CDA, Pak-EPA and ICT administration in achieving the successful implementation of the pollution control measures. The authoritative body has pledged to keep on with its pursuit of a smog free and environmental friendly Islamabad.
