Record Air Pollution Crisis Forces School Closures in Lahore

Lahore is Pakistan’s cultural capital and in an air pollution crisis; AQI readings are hitting 1,100 to make it the world’s most polluted city. This has brought quite stringent containment measures to provincial authorities-many of which are not only inconvenient but also troublesome: schools shut and civil servants asked to work from home. Doctors are struggling with an influx of respiratory diseases, and the 14-million-strong city is on the brink of a lockdown if the situation does not change.

The Punjab provincial government has added to its crisis, shutting schools in Lahore and 18 districts around it. Lahore government employees will be working from home till next week after senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb ordered a 50% work-from-home policy. MEC and the national government are keen on encouraging the use of face masks and people to stay at home with warnings of another total lockdown if public compliance remains low.

They are necessary since AQI readings have persisted above 300, a dangerous level for human health. Authorities are paying close attention to it, especially concerning the populace that can be harmed by various atmospheric pollutants, such as kids and seniors living here.

Health facilities are overwhelmed with patients with respiratory illnesses mainly caused by extreme air pollution. Dr. Salman Kazmi, the vice president of the Pakistan Medical Association, says that thousands of patients have received treatment within a week, mostly for coughs and irritation in the eyes.

In Lahore there are chances of more patients getting trapped into the problems arising from smog this winter as per statistics. It is for this reason that as healthcare providers, the adverse effects of such extreme levels of pollution on the health of the people is of very big concern given that long time exposure to such polluted air is bound to lead to some very severe respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.