International: Dangerously poor air quality on Monday forced Pakistani authorities in the cultural capital of Lahore to close primary schools for a week, government officials said, after the air-quality index hit a record high over the weekend.

The measures in Lahore were part of a larger effort to protect children from respiratory-related and other diseases in the city of 14 million people. The government said everyone in Lahore was required to wear a face mask.

Fifty per cent of employees must also work from home as part of a “green lockdown” in the city, the government said, adding that barbecuing food without filters was banned and motorised rickshaws restricted.

Image Source : APStudents wear mask to protect themselves from poor air quality due to increasing smog in the city as they attend their school, in Lahore

Wedding halls must close at 10 p.m. and artificial rain is likely to be used to combat the pollution. The air-quality index in Lahore exceeded 1,000 over the weekend, a record high in Pakistan.

Image Source : APPigeons fly in heavy smog in Lahore, Pakistan

Toxic gray smog has sickened tens of thousands of people, mainly children and elderly people, since last month when the air quality started worsening in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province bordering India.

The government has also banned construction work in certain areas and fined owners of smoke-emitting vehicles. Schools will remain closed for a week because of the pollution, according to a government notification.

Image Source : APOrange Line Metro Train runs as heavy fog reduces visibility, in Lahore, Pakistan

The concentration of PM 2.5, or tiny particulate matter, in the air approached 450, considered hazardous, the Punjab Environment Protection Department said.

Lahore was once known as a city of gardens, which were ubiquitous during the Mughal era from the 16th to 19th centuries. But rapid urbanisation and surging population growth have left little room for greenery.

Pakistan to contact India

In a press conference on Sunday, senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb cautioned citizens about smog from India, saying winds would continue to blow towards Lahore for at least one week, Dawan reported. The provincial minister said easterly winds from Amritsar and Chandigarh were spiking the air quality index in Lahore to over 1,000 for the past two days. Aurangzeb, who holds the environment portfolio in the cabinet, said Punjab would write to the Foreign Office on Monday (today) to take up the issue with New Delhi, as per the report.