Public places like parks and zoos have been completely shut in Pakistan’s Punjab province as many cities remained shrouded in a thick layer of toxic air with an Air Quality Index over 2,000.
Multan, the largest city in south Punjab recorded an AQI of 2,135 between 8 am and 9 am on Saturday, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitor, reported Dawn News.
The concentration of Particulate Matter 2.5 was 947 micrograms, 189.4 times above the WHO guideline. The situation of pollution remained the same as in Multan in the surrounding districts of Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, and Khanewal with smog dropping visibility levels.
A ‘smart lockdown’ has been imposed by Multan Deputy Commissioner Hamid Sindhu on Friday under which markets have been directed to close till 8 pm and traffic police have been instructed to take strict action against smoke-emitting vehicles.
What have we done with the fabled Lahore…#Smog #LahoreSmog #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/QrFtOEUT6X
— Moneir Aslam (@moneir27) November 8, 2024
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A “complete ban” has been imposed on entry of people in parks, zoos, playgrounds, monuments, museums and play lands in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Lodhran, Vehari and Khanewal.
Schools in 18 districts have also been shut due to the worsening air quality in the province.
However, the rules were being flouted as children played in the grounds and streets with the closure of schools, a Multan resident told Dawn.
Meanwhile, the officials have been blaming India and attributed the “unprecedented” situation this year to wind patterns.
A cross-border wind phenomenon was creating heavy smog in the south Punjab cities including Bahawalpur, Multan and Rajanpur, Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EPCCD) Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar told Dawn News.
Anwar said the “wind pool” entered southern Punjab from cities like Bikaner and Jaipur.
