The Punjab government has announced the closure of all public and private schools and colleges from primary to high school as part of emergency measures to deal with severe weather conditions resulting from the crisis in the region.
Following the decision, air quality measurements in the province have reached alarming levels, with Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) recently crossing 1,000.
Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said the smoke was mostly caused by burning crops and industrial emissions, affecting the air quality in the region.
Aurangzeb ordered schools to switch to online education during the crisis to protect students and staff.
Aurangzeb added that health and safety remained the top priority and the temporary shift to online education was a precautionary measure to prevent contamination among children and students.
Answering a question, Maryam Aurangzeb revealed that Maryam Nawaz Sharif underwent throat surgery last year and contracted the infection again six months ago.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif is currently undergoing treatment in Geneva and will return to Pakistan on November 12. She also clarified that it was not true that Maryam Nawaz Sharif had gone to London due to bad weather conditions.
Air pollution hit a record high in Lahore on Saturday, with authorities warning that the city’s air pollution was nearly 40 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) restrictions.
Levels of PM2.5 pollution, the most damaging air pollution, rose to 610 in 24 hours, a level the World Health Organization has deemed unhealthy.
For days, the city has been blanketed in smog, smoke and pollution from low-level diesel fumes, seasonal farm fires and cold winters.
The Air Quality Index, which measures various types of air pollution, reached 1,067, above the 300th level considered “hazardous”, according to IQAir.
