Pakistan’s Punjab government has closed amusement parks and museums for 10 days from November 8 to 17 to deal with the dangerous smog situation in the province, ARY News reports.
According to the ban imposed on Friday, the districts affected by this ban include Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujarat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Chiniot, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. ARY News reported. Lodhran, Vehari and Khanewal districts are also under smog-related restrictions.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s air pollution reached dangerous levels, with seven cities topping the list of the world’s most polluted cities, according to ARY News. Pakistan meteorologists have predicted hazy conditions to worsen due to low wind speed of 11 km/hr around Lahore and 7 km/hr near Multan.
Multan’s air quality AQI score was 2,135, and Lahore’s was 676. Peshawar, Islamabad, Hariput, Rawalpindi and Karachi fall in the ‘hazardous air quality’ category, ARY News reports.
Earlier on Thursday, Lahore was at number one position with 784 points in the most polluted city ranking released by IQAir.
After being one of the cities with the highest AQI in the world, Lahore’s environment has remained dangerous for its residents for several weeks. Pollution levels in the city have repeatedly reached 1,000.
According to Geo News, prolonged exposure has increased the number of hospitalizations for respiratory problems, severely affecting Lahore and other cities like Multan, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Gujranwala.
The increasingly hazardous environment has made it difficult for citizens to breathe, leaving them vulnerable to respiratory diseases as they struggle to carry on with their daily activities.
Doctors have advised Lahore residents to wear masks whenever they step out of the house.
According to the notification, private and government educational institutions teaching up to higher secondary level in the city as well as other districts of Punjab, Pakistan, have been closed by the government till November 17, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Education Department has ordered tuition centers and academies to remain closed.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
