Schools to remain closed in Punjab on Thursday

The Punjab government has announced that schools will remain closed on Thursday due to extreme smog and presence of dangerous toxins in the air.

In a tweet, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said, “Due to sudden increase in smog, all schools in Lahore will remain closed tomorrow. We are closely monitoring the #LahoreSmog situation. Administration is already on high alert and have tasked them to escalate actions against crop burning and other factors that contribute to smog.”

The smog in Lahore continues to rise as the Air Quality Index (AQI) broke previous records once again, reaching as high as 732 on Wednesday.

According to the details, the AQI in Zeenat Block stood at 732 while the Punjab Assembly area was close behind with an AQI of 731. Similarly, residents of Upper Mall, DHA Phase 5, and Liberty are suffering AQIs of 647, 401, and 376 respectively.

According to Air Visual, an organisation that provides free access to the world’s largest air quality database and ranks the world’s cities according to the AQI, Lahore ranks among the five worst cities in terms of air quality.

However, unlike the Indian government that has imposed a health emergency in the capital city, the Pakistani Punjab government has failed to take any concrete measures to combat the menace of smog.

The government only seemed interested in shifting the blame instead of taking measures to control air pollution.