Lahore air pollution hits historic high, forcing school closures
Unprecedented air pollution levels in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore prompted authorities to take emergency measures, including closing schools.
KARACHI, Pakistan — Unprecedented air pollution levels in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore prompted authorities to take emergency measures on Sunday, including issuing work-from-home mandates and closing primary schools.
The city held the top spot on a real-time list of the world’s most polluted cities on Sunday after recording its highest-ever pollution reading of 1900 near the Pakistan-India border on Saturday, based on data released by the provincial government and Swiss group IQAir.
The government has shut primary schools for a week, advising parents to ensure children wear masks, Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb said during a news conference, as a thick blanket of smog enveloped the city.
Citizens have been urged to stay indoors, keep doors and windows shut and avoid unnecessary travel, she said, adding that hospitals had been given smog counters.
To reduce vehicle pollution, 50% of office employees would work from home, Aurangzeb said.
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