WHO

A smog-choked province in eastern Pakistan has issued a rare plea for cross-border collaboration with India, as major cities in both countries endure severe air pollution that risks the health of millions. Officials in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous ...

Primary schools in Lahore will remain closed for a week because of the pollution, according to a government notification.

Lahore, Pakistan, experienced record-breaking air pollution on November 2, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 1,900, six times higher than the World Health Organization's limit. The Pakistani government attributed the surge to winds carrying pollution from India and seasonal crop residue burning.

Pakistan's second city of Lahore will close primary schools for a week over record pollution, government authorities said Sunday, to avoid exposing millions of children to smog several times above levels deemed dangerous.

Pakistani officials say dangerously poor air quality has forced the provincial government in Lahore to close primary schools for a week.

In light of the worsening pollution crisis, Lahore's administration has also taken a few emergency steps. Primary schools in several cities have been closed for a week, with parents advised to make their children wear masks.