Hundreds in Pakistan hospitalised due to air pollution
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Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab, of which Lahore is the capital, registers hazardous air pollution during winter.
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ISLAMABAD – More than 900 people have been admitted to hospital in a single day in the Pakistani megacity of Lahore due to air pollution, the local government said.
Children and elderly people were among those who had to urgently see a doctor for respiratory conditions and throat infections, Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said at a press conference on Nov 6.
Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab, of which Lahore is the capital, registers hazardous air pollution during winter, when slower wind currents are compounded by smoke from field clearing and urban emissions.
Swiss monitor IQAir on Nov 7 placed Lahore first among the world’s most polluted cities with an air quality index of 710, which is double the level seen in New Delhi and compared with safe levels of up to 50.
The minister said the index touched 1,100 earlier in the week, prompting the authorities to close schools, enforce mask wearing and request that offices run at a reduced capacity, with half of the staff working from home.
The restriction will be in place for the coming ten days, after which the government will reassess the situation. Bloomberg
