What Happened: The Punjab Environmental Department has implemented a “Green Lockdown” in Lahore to combat severe smog, banning construction and restricting certain activities in hotspot areas while Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz calls for climate diplomacy with India.
What you need to know: On Wednesday, the Environmental Department issued a notification detailing the lockdown measures. Several key roads, including Davis Road, Egerton Road, Durand Road, and Kashmir Road, have been identified as hotspot areas, along with the stretch from Shimla Hill to Gulshan Cinema and Abbott Road. Moreover, the region extending from Shimla Hill to the Railway Station and Empress Road has also been classified as a hotspot, with Queen Mary Road and its vicinity marked as polluted zones.
What more: In these designated areas, all construction activities will be prohibited, and commercial generators will not be allowed to operate. Additionally, Chingchi rickshaws will face strict restrictions, and open barbecues will be banned after 8 PM to mitigate pollution.
Also: Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz emphasized the importance of “climate diplomacy” with India to address the smog crisis in Lahore. Speaking at a Diwali event in Lahore, she expressed the need for diplomatic efforts with the Indian Punjab chief minister, stating that combating smog transcends political boundaries and is fundamentally a humanitarian issue. She mentioned the possibility of writing a letter to her counterpart in India to foster collaboration on this pressing concern.