Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, saw a record-high level of air pollution on Saturday, more than 80 times the WHO’s tolerable threshold, according to an official.
Deadly PM2.5 pollutants, the small particle matter in the air that is most harmful to health, peaked at 1,067 in the morning and then fell to about 300. Anything over 10 is deemed harmful by the WHO.
Jahangir Anwar, an experienced environmental protection official in Lahore, told AFP, “We have never reached a level of 1,000.”
Smog, a mixture of fog and pollution brought on by low-grade motor emissions, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning, and winter cooling, has engulfed Lahore for days.
Anwar predicted that for the following three to four days, the air quality index would stay high.
The provincial environmental protection office declared new limitations in four of the city’s “hot spots” on Wednesday.
LHC suggests that schools will be closed two days a week.
Restaurants that grill without filters are prohibited, as are tuk-tuks with two-stroke engines that emit pollutants.
Starting Monday, half of the employees in government and business organizations will work from home.
Street and food sellers, who frequently cook over open fires, are required to close at 8 p.m., and construction has been delayed.
In winter, when colder, thicker air retains pollutants from subpar fuels used to power the city’s ground-level industry and automobiles, smog is most noticeable.
