Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, recorded an unprecedented Air Quality Index (AQI) of 1900 on Saturday triggering authorities to take immediate measures as such dangerous pollution levels expose locals to severe health concerns.
According to the data released by the provincial government and Swiss group IQAir, Lahore 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 near the Pakistan-India border on Saturday.
As part of its emergency response plan to batter air pollution, the Lahore administration has issued work-from-home mandates and announced the closure of primary schools in various cities.
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 press conference, as a thick blanket of smog enveloped the city.
To reduce vehicle pollution, 50% of office employees would work from home, said Aurangzeb.
The government also issued an advisory urging people to stay indoors, keep doors and windows shut, and avoid travel and going out of the house unless necessary.
All the hospitals have also been given smog counters and asked to prepare for exigencies, Reuters reported.
The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce pollution levels.
Factories and construction sites failing to comply with these regulations could be shut down, she said.
Senior Punjab Minister Aurangzeb described the air pollution situation as “unexpected” and said the rising detrimental pollution levels can be attributed to winds carrying pollution from neighbouring India.
“This cannot be solved without talks with India,” she said, adding the provincial government would initiate talks with its bigger neighbour through Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
The smog crisis in Lahore, similar to the situation in India’s capital Delhi, tends to worsen during cooler months due to temperature inversion trapping pollution closer to the ground.
(With Reuters inputs)
