Air quality in the city of 14 million people has breached levels considered "dangerous," prompting the government to close schools and urge citizens to stay indoors.Primary schools in Pakistan's second-largest city Lahore will close for a week as a result of unprecedented air pollution levels, the provincial government announced Sunday.

Also Read | Raebareli Shocker: Village Head's Representative 'Forced To Lick Own Spit' by Uttar Pradesh Police, Probe Ordered.

The metropolis in the country's east has for days been blanketed in a thick layer of smog caused by traffic fumes, smoke from seasonal crop burning on farms, and pollution-trapping winter temperatures.

Also Read | Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: You Made 'Saheb' Happy in Lok Sabha, Make Me Happy in State Polls, Ajit Pawar Tells Voters.

Lahore, home to of 14 million people, was at the top of a real-time list of the world's most polluted cities on Sunday, based on data released by Pakistani authorities and Swiss air quality monitoring group IQAir. The city's air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, climbed to over 1,000, which the Punjab provincial government described as "unprecedented."

"Don't leave your homes," Punjab senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a news conference. "This smog is very harmful for children. Masks should be mandatory in schools. We are keeping an eye on the health of children in senior classes."

Aurangzeb also blamed the worsening air quality on winds carrying pollution from neighboring India.

"This issue cannot be solved without talking to India and without joint efforts on both sides of the border," Aurangzeb said.

More to come...

nm/lo (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2024 05:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).