Schools shut as smog chokes Lahore's lungs

Authorities in Lahore announced on Sunday the closure of schools in the provincial capital for a week, reduced staff strength in government and private offices, and banned the entry of heavy vehicles within the city limits over the weekend due to alarming environmental conditions.

The air quality index (AQI), which measures a range of pollutants, exceeded 1,000 on Saturday—well above the level of 300 considered "dangerous"—according to data from IQAir. The Punjab government also recorded peaks of over 1,000 on Sunday, which it considered "unprecedented".

"All the classes" for children up to the age of 10, "public, private & special education... shall remain closed for one week" from Monday until Saturday, read a local government notification. The decision had been taken to avoid exposing millions of children to smog.

"This smog is very harmful for children. Masks should be mandatory in schools. We are keeping an eye on the health of children in senior classes," Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a news conference on Sunday. Smog counters have also been established in hospitals, she added.

Separately, the environment protection authorities banned the entry of heavy vehicles in Lahore on Friday and Saturday nights for three months. However, the ban does not apply to passenger buses or vehicles supplying fuel, medicines, hospital supplies, and food items, according to an EPA notification.

"Weather forecast for the next six days shows that wind patterns will remain the same. Therefore we are closing all government and private primary schools in Lahore for a week," Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official said.

However, the All Pakistan Private Schools Federation (APPSF) opposed the closure of educational institutions and called for a review of the decision. APPSF official Kashif Mirza warned that the recent poor educational results in Lahore could be linked to frequent school closures.

"Closure of educational institutions due to smog is not a viable solution and warrants a review," Mirza said. Instead of shutting the schools, he called for the promotion of green schools and green energy, coupled with a temporary ban on the smoke emitting industry and other measures.

"The ongoing mid-term examinations in schools will be affected by such closures. The recent dismal Matric results and Lahore [education] board's poor performance compared to other education boards in Punjab are attributed to frequent school closures and flawed policies," he added.

Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city with a population of 14 million, is in the grip of smog and air pollution, making it one of the most polluted cities in the world. This smog, a combination of fog and pollutants, is blamed on low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning, and winter heating.

Breathing the toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases could be triggered by prolonged exposure.

On Saturday, the concentration of deadly PM2.5 pollutants—fine particulate matter in the air that causes most damage to health – was more than 40 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO . PM2.5 levels on Sunday morning exceeded that before decreasing slightly.

Last week, the provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four "hot spots" in the city. Rickshaws equipped with polluting two-stroke engines are banned, as are restaurants that barbecue without filters.

Government offices and private companies will have half their staff work from home starting Monday. Children are particularly vulnerable because they have less developed lungs and breathe more rapidly, taking in more air relative to their size than adults.

Last month, authorities banned schoolchildren from outdoor exercise until January and adjusted school hours to prevent children from travelling when the pollution is most punishing. According to Unicef, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution.

(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES)