LAHORE: Pakistan has shut down all public and private primary schools in Lahore, the country’s second-largest city, for a week owing to severe air pollution.
Lahore, located in eastern Pakistan, has been engulfed in thick smog for several days, attributed to traffic emissions, smoke from seasonal crop burning, and pollution-trapping winter temperatures.
With a population of 14 million, Lahore topped the list of the world’s most polluted cities on Sunday, according to data from Pakistani authorities and the Swiss air quality monitoring organization IQAir. The city’s air quality index soared above 1,000, which the Punjab provincial government described as “unprecedented.”
“Please do not leave your homes,” urged Punjab senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb during a news conference. “This smog is particularly harmful to children. Masks should be mandatory in schools, and we are monitoring the health of older students closely.”
Aurangzeb also pointed to pollution from neighbouring India as a contributing factor to the deteriorating air quality, stating, “This issue cannot be addressed without discussions with India and collaborative efforts from both sides of the border.”
