Pakistan bans entry to parks, zoos as air pollution worsens

Lahore, world's most polluted city, bans public entry to protect from severe air pollution until November 17.

Pakistan's Punjab banned entry to many public spaces from Friday (November 8, 2024), including parks and zoos, as it sought to protect people from severe air pollution in parts of the eastern province.

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The provincial capital Lahore has been engulfed in a thick, smoky haze this week and was consistently rated the world's most polluted city by Swiss group IQAir in its live rankings, prompting the closure of schools and work-from-home mandates.

The Punjab government's Friday (November 8) order placed a "complete ban on public entry in all parks ... zoos, playgrounds, historical places, monuments, museums and joy/playlands" until November 17 in areas including Lahore.

Many parts of South Asia suffer severe pollution as temperatures drop each winter and cold, heavy air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from stubble burning - the illegal practice of burning crop waste to quickly clear fields.

Punjab last week blamed toxic air wafting in from neighbouring India - where air quality has also reached hazardous levels - for the particularly high pollution this year.

IQAir rated New Delhi the world's second most polluted city on Friday, with government data indicating that farm fires in the neighbouring farming states of Punjab and Haryana were among the major contributors.