After educational institutions, the Punjab government has opted to shut down further government offices owing to the thick smog.

LAHORE: Because of the drastic measures that the Punjab government had to undertake, like closing the schools, the region still finds it difficult to contain the air crisis caused by great smog, especially in the capital, with its residents often times having to suffer and struggle to find breathing space. The provincial government’s Environmental Protection Agency on Friday also issued a notification yet again, stating a complete prohibition on people’s movement across all the public and private parks, zoos, playgrounds, and other recreational sites beginning on November 8th, which was signed by Dr. Imran Hamid Sheikh, the agency’s director general. The order: issued under the Punjab Environmental Protection Act of 1997, is also applicable in the districts of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahudin, Sialkot, Narowal, Chiniot, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Mulan, Lodhran, Vehari and Khanewal as this order will remain in force up till 17th November (Sunday) within the territorial jurisdictions of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan Division. Punishing school children who have to suffer from breathing problems due to air pollution reaching its peaks would be ridiculous Nonetheless, IQAir’s ranking places 860 on the real-time air quality index across the city, screaming measurements of air pollution on the 15th day of the week before 11:15am; however, this measurement made was around 613 at 11:15am, which confirms Lahore AQI has suffered from air pollution issues. People who seek to breach the orders will be guilty of an offense under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The notification stressed that the Punjab Administration is making every effort to manage all possible internal factors that contribute to air pollution and degradation of ambient quality. "Further, It stated, the EPA and other relevant departments have already taken the necessary preventative steps in relation to both the active and potential sources of air pollution."The notification further read that the provincial government issued a Health Advisory For Critical Air Pollution Events (HAR CAPES) on 13th December 2022, The first meeting of the PCC was held on 21st October 2024, which declared that Lahore has experienced a critical event of air pollution in light of the recent upsurge in the rates of the air quality index. ‘And whereas Section 6(1)(i) of the Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997 assigns to the EPA and/or the Deputy Director, other such officers of EPA, such functions as that of pollution control, conservation of the environment and reasonable and sustainable development,” it said.