The Punjab Environment Department has banned the burning of waste in open areas across the province, as part of a drive to fight smog. A spokesperson said on Sunday that Director General Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh has directed firm action against anyone who sets garbage alight, whether the fire is on a street, a roadside, a vacant lot or close to a bazaar. The prohibition is not limited to household rubbish and extends to plastic, rubber, dried leaves and bushes.
Why the department says the step is needed
Smog is the haze that forms when smoke and fine particles build up in the air, and Lahore and other Punjab cities often face it in the colder months. The department's position is that smoke from burnt waste carries harmful particles that worsen smog and damage public health. Officials framed the measure as a way of addressing pollution where it starts, ahead of any further decline in air quality.
Director General Sheikh has instructed field teams to tighten checks and act without delay against those who break the rule. He said heaps of burning garbage will not be permitted under any conditions, leaving no room for exceptions in the enforcement drive.
Enforcement and what residents and businesses should do
District administrations and local bodies have also been asked to handle garbage collection and disposal in a proper and timely way. People and companies are being encouraged to hand their waste to formal collection services and stop burning it. The message to shopkeepers is the same as the one for households: waste should go through the formal collection channel and not be set alight on site.
The list of places is broad. Streets, roads, empty plots and areas near markets are all named, so the ban does not depend on a particular type of location. The department describes its approach as zero-tolerance, which means no exceptions will be made in the push to keep Punjab's air clean.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab mein gali, sadak, khali plot ya bazaar ke qareeb kachra jalana ab mana hai, aur plastic, rubber aur patton ko jalana bhi mana hai. Environment Department ne kaha hai ke kachra jalane walon ke khilaf sakht karwai hogi. Kachra jalane se dhuan aur zarrat smog barhate hain aur sehat par bura asar parta hai. Is liye kachra official collection system ke zariye dein, khud na jalayen.
