 "Pakistan has been ranked as the second most-polluted country (Photo: AP)")
Record-breaking air pollution in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city led authorities to impose emergency measures on Sunday including work-from-home directives and a week-long closure of primary schools.
Lahore topped the global list of the world’s most polluted cities on Sunday after reaching an unprecedented pollution level of 1900 near the Pakistan-India border, according to provincial data and IQAir.
Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb advised parents to ensure children wear masks and urged residents to stay indoors, close windows, and limit travel. Hospitals have also been equipped with smog counters as the city remains shrouded in thick smog.
To reduce vehicle pollution, 50% of office employees would work from home, said Aurangzeb.
The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce the pollution levels. Factories and construction sites failing to comply with these regulations could be shut down, she said.
Aurangzeb described the situation as ”unexpected” and attributed the deterioration in air quality 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 inputs from agencies.