Pakistan's largest province forces public spaces shutdown due to toxic air
Punjab province closes parks and tourist spots as toxic smog takes over its capital Lahore. New restrictions affect multiple public areas while India increases fines for farmers who burn crop waste
Punjabʼs government made a quick-action plan to fight bad air quality - closing many public spots starting this friday. The ban affects parks zoos playgrounds and tourist places (including museums and historical sites) and will last till mid-november
The provinceʼs main city Lahore faces really bad air problems; its got the worst air quality worldwide according to IQAir rankings which made officials close schools and tell people to work from home. The cold weather traps all the smoke and dust in the air making it hard to breathe - and crop burning in nearby areas doesnt help at all
South Asia gets this problem every winter when farmers burn whats left after harvest; both India and Pakistan point fingers at each other for the mess. New Delhi sits right behind Lahore as worlds second-most polluted city now; their government data shows lots of smoke coming from farms in Punjab and Haryana
To stop farmers from burning crops India made new rules with bigger fines:
- Small farms under 2 acres pay 5000 rupees
- Medium farms between 2-5 acres pay 10000 rupees
- Big farms over 5 acres pay 30000 rupees
The whole situation shows how air pollution - which doesnt care about borders makes both countries struggle with same problems
