Unprecedented air pollution in the Pakistani city of Lahore has forced authorities to close all primary schools for a week.<\/p>\n
From Monday, 50% of office workers will also work from home, as part of a \u201cgreen lockdown\u201d plan. Other measures include bans on engine-powered rickshaws and vendors that barbecue without filters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis smog is very harmful for children, masks should be mandatory in schools,\u201d Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said.<\/p>\n
Lahore, Pakistan\u2019s second-largest city, topped the world list of cities with the most polluted air for a second time on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, exceeded 1,000 on Saturday, well above the benchmark of 300 considered \u201cdangerous\u201d by the World Health Organization, according to data from IQAir.<\/p>\n
The level of fine particulate matter in the air, the most damaging to health, also soared well into hazardous levels.<\/p>\n
Raja Jehangir Anwar, a senior environment official, said the \u201cbiggest headache\u201d causing the smog was the practice of burning crop waste, known as stubble, across the Indian border.<\/p>\n
Aurangzeb said the fumes were \u201cbeing carried by strong winds into Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis cannot be solved without talks with India,\u201d she said, adding that the provincial government would initiate such discussions through the foreign ministry.<\/p>\n
The government is urging people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.<\/p>\n
Vehicles equipped with pumps are spraying water into the air to help control the smog level. Construction work has been halted in certain areas.<\/p>\n
The situation will be assessed again next Saturday to establish whether schools should remain shut.<\/p>\n
Inhaling toxic air can have catastrophic health consequences, including strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and some respiratory diseases, according to the WHO.<\/p>\n
Last month pupils were banned from outdoor exercise until January and school hours were adjusted to prevent children from travelling when pollution levels are the highest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a mother, I am full of anxiety,\u201d 42-year-old Lilly Mirza told AFP news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year was not this bad… Somebody needs to tell us what has happened. Did a pollution bomb explode somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
The smog crisis is worse in winter, when cold, denser air traps pollutants closer to the ground.<\/p>\n
Source: BBC
\n–Agencies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Unprecedented air pollution in the Pakistani city of Lahore has forced authorities to close all primary schools for a week. From Monday, 50% of office workers will also work from home, as part of a \u201cgreen lockdown\u201d plan. Other measures include bans on engine-powered rickshaws and vendors that barbecue without filters. \u201cThis smog is very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[222],"class_list":["post-1784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-lahore"],"yoast_head":"\n