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• Suggested slug: punjab-waste-burning-ban-smog
• Category: National
• Focus keyphrase: Punjab waste burning ban
• SEO title: Punjab Waste Burning Ban to Curb Smog
• Meta description: Punjab EPA bans open burning of waste across the province ahead of smog season, ordering strict action against smoke polluting the winter air.
• Tags: Punjab waste burning ban, Punjab smog, EPA Punjab, air pollution Lahore, smog season 2026, waste burning
• Original element: own data point — pairs the ban with Feature Pakistan’s earlier smog coverage: Rawalpindi’s crackdown on smoke-emitting vehicles and Lahore’s hazardous AQI readings (linked below)
• Source: Tribune (“Waste burning banned to curb smog”, published 17 Oct 2026, 02:06 PKT)

Punjab Bans Open Waste Burning to Curb Smog

The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency has banned open burning of waste across the province to stop harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere during the smog season, adding another weapon to the province’s anti-smog campaign.

The ban covers the burning of municipal waste, litter, leaves, vegetation, plastic, rubber and other combustible materials in open spaces.

The EPA has directed its field formations and concerned departments to ensure strict implementation of the ban and to take action against those found burning waste in streets, roadsides, vacant plots, markets and other open areas.

Why waste burning matters

Open burning of mixed waste produces thick smoke and fine particulate matter that can significantly worsen air quality and contribute to smog, particularly when stagnant atmospheric conditions trap pollutants over urban areas.

EPA Director General Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh stressed the need for a more aggressive and preventive approach to curbing pollution, with authorities required to stop waste burning rather than merely responding after smoke incidents occur.

The department has called for coordinated action by local administrations, municipal authorities and other relevant agencies to ensure timely collection and proper disposal of waste. Officials have been directed to keep a close watch on areas where open dumping and waste burning are commonly reported.

Part of a wider anti-smog push

The ban arrives as Punjab steps up enforcement ahead of the winter smog season. Feature Pakistan earlier reported that Rawalpindi traffic police were impounding smoke-emitting vehicles as part of an anti-smog crackdown, and that Punjab asked schools to promote carpooling as Lahore’s air quality index neared 200.

Lahore has already endured spells of very unhealthy air this season, and the city has repeatedly ranked among the world’s most polluted. The Lahore air quality index hit 155 in one recent reading, and the city has topped the world’s most polluted cities with hazardous air on multiple days.

What the ban requires

Authorities are particularly focusing on eliminating avoidable sources of pollution ahead of periods when stagnant atmospheric conditions can trap pollutants over urban areas.

The department urged the public, businesses and local authorities to avoid burning waste and instead use proper waste collection and disposal arrangements.

The real test will be enforcement. Open burning of leaves and rubbish is common in residential streets and markets across Punjab, and the ban depends on field staff who have limited reach. The EPA’s shift from reacting to smoke incidents toward preventing them suggests the department expects this winter to be as challenging as the last few, when smog shut schools, disrupted flights and sent patients to hospitals with breathing problems.

What residents can do

The ban places part of the responsibility on the public. Residents can stop burning leaves, garden trimmings and household rubbish in the open and instead use municipal waste collection services where available. Neighbourhoods where dumping and burning are routine — streets, vacant plots and market edges — are precisely the areas field staff have been told to watch, and complaints from residents can help enforcement teams find the worst spots.

With the smog season under way, the department’s line is that stopping smoke at the source will do more than chasing it afterwards. The Express Tribune reported the department’s call for preventive rather than reactive enforcement as the centrepiece of this year’s approach.