Pakistan closes primary schools in Lahore due to record pollution

Pakistan’s second city, Lahore, will close primary schools for a week due to record pollution, government authorities said on Sunday, to prevent millions of children from being exposed to smog several times above the level considered dangerous.

For days, the city of 14 million people has been shrouded in smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.

The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, exceeded 1,000 on Saturday – well above the 300 level considered ‘hazardous’ – according to IQAir data. The Punjab government also recorded spikes of more than 1,000 on Sunday, which it deemed “unprecedented”.

“The 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,” said Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore.

“All classes” for children up to 10 years old, “public, private and special education … will remain closed for a week” from Monday to Saturday, according to a local government decision.

The decision added that the situation will be reassessed next Saturday to determine whether the school closure should be extended.