Districts in Pak close parks, zoo and schools

Lahore: Authorities in a broad swath of eastern Pakistan closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for 10 days as a record-breaking smog wave choked 18 districts of Punjab province, sickening tens of thousands of people.

Lahore residents went about their lives in a twilight gloom that lingered over the city for hours, reducing visibility to around 100 metres.

Toxic smog shrouded the city of 14 million people and other parts of Punjab since last month. It has forced the government to close

schools and other public places until November 17 and keep government employees at home in 18 of Punjab’s districts, including its capital city Lahore.

“These measures to ban the entry of people to such places are part of the Punjab government’s efforts aimed at protecting the health of people,” said Sajid Bashir, the spokesperson for the Environment Protection Department in Punjab.

“We want people to stay at home and avoid unnecessarily traveling,” he said.

On Friday, a court in Lahore also ordered the government to shut all markets after 8 pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10 pm.

Bashir said Lahore was the world’s most polluted city on Friday, with Air Quality Index readings of over 600.