Lahore shuts primary schools over record pollution: Pakistan officials

Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore has announced the closure of primary schools owing to record air pollution plaguing the region.

Air pollution in Lahore reached alarming levels on Saturday, soaring approximately 40 times higher than what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers acceptable, according to data from IQAir.

The concentration of PM2.5 pollutants, which are harmful fine particles in the air, peaked at 610 micrograms per cubic meter, well above the WHO's unhealthy threshold of 15 micrograms over a 24-hour period. The air quality index also spiked to an unprecedented 1,067.


"We have never reached a level of 1,000," said Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore, in a statement to AFP.

The city has been shrouded in smog for several days, a mixture of fog and pollutants stemming from low-grade diesel fumes, seasonal agricultural burning, and winter weather conditions.

In response to the crisis, the provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four major pollution hotspots in Lahore.

Effective Monday, tuk-tuks with polluting two-stroke engines are banned, and restaurants that cook over open flames without proper filtration must close. Additionally, government offices and private companies will require half of their staff to work from home.

Construction work has been halted, and street vendors must cease operations by 8 PM. The smog problem is particularly severe in winter when cold air traps emissions from the city's vehicles and factories close to the ground.