Lahore air pollution hits historic high, forcing school closures

Ariba Shahid - Reuters - 03/11
Punjab's senior minister attributed the deterioration in air quality to pollution coming from India.
  • Lahore's worsening air quality prompts emergency measures
  • Government shuts schools, urges citizens to stay indoors
  • Half of office employees to work from home, says minister
KARACHI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - 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, said Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb during a press 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, a...
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