The Punjab government has shut down schools in districts severely affected by smog as the air quality crisis intensifies throughout the province.
Officials have mandated masks in these smog-laden areas to mitigate health risks.
Senior provincial minister Maryam Aurangzeb stated, “Schools will be closed until November 17.” She also announced that online classes would resume and that 50 percent of government and private office employees would work remotely. Aurangzeb highlighted that air currents from India have significantly deteriorated conditions in cities like Multan, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, and Gujranwala.
The government is set to address this issue internationally, with plans to contact the foreign office today. Moreover, there are moves to revise legislation concerning farmers’ burning of crop residue, aiming to reduce the causes of smog.
When discussing Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s overseas trip, Aurangzeb said, “She is in Geneva for a medical checkup and will return on November 12.”
Lahore is currently grappling with a critical air quality crisis. Pollution levels in the city soared to hazardous levels, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 1,165 on Wednesday morning. Some locales recorded even higher AQI values: Defence Phase VIII reached 1,696, Davies Road hit 1,464, and Gulberg was at 1,306, according to international air quality monitors.
The concentration of dangerous chemicals in Lahore’s atmosphere is now 131 times above the World Health Organization’s safety guidelines.
