Pakistan saw a spike in air pollution, with seven of its cities being among the most polluted in the world.
Due to dangerously high levels of smog, the Punjab government in Pakistan has ordered the closure of amusement parks, museums, and schools in a number of regions for ten days, from November 8 to November 17, according to ARY News.
Districts like Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujarat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Chiniot, Jhang, and Toba Tek Singh are affected by the ban, which was announced on Friday. Lodhran, Vehari, and Khanewal are also subject to restrictions because of the smog.
According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitor, between 8 and 9 a.m. on Friday, Multan, the biggest city in south Punjab, had an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 2,135.
According to IQAir, the concentration of PM2.5, the tiny particulate matter in the air that is most harmful to health, was 947 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 189.4 times higher than the WHO recommendation.
According to Dawn, the AQI in Multan reached 980 by 10 p.m., which is at least three times higher than the 300 threshold deemed “hazardous.”
At 10 p.m., the AQI values from the three air quality monitors in Multan—at the WWF-Pakistan Office, Shamsabad Colony, and Multan Cantonment—were 2,316, 1,635 and 1,527, respectively.
The shutdown of tutoring centers and academies has been ordered by the Punjab education department. According to a government announcement, public and private schools in the impacted districts up to the upper secondary level would stay closed until November 17. This was reported by Geo News.
