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Pakistan prohibits entry to parks, zoos as air contamination worsens

Pakistan's Punjab banned entry to lots of public areas from Friday, including parks and zoos, as it looked for to protect people from severe air contamination in parts of the eastern province.

The provincial capital Lahore has actually been swallowed up in a thick, smoky haze today 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 requireds.

The Punjab government's Friday order placed a complete restriction on public entry in all parks ... zoos, play premises, historical locations, monoliths, museums and joy/play lands up until Nov. 17 in locations including Lahore.

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

Punjab recently blamed toxic air wafting in from neighbouring India - where air quality has likewise reached dangerous levels - for the especially high pollution this year.

IQAir ranked the Indian capital New Delhi the world's 2nd most contaminated city on Friday, with federal government data showing that farm fires in the neighbouring farming states of Punjab and Haryana were among the significant factors.

To discourage the practice which has been lower this year, India's federal government doubled fines imposed on violators on Wednesday.

Farmers with less than two acres of land will now need to pay 5,000 rupees

(source: Reuters)