Punjab govt closes primary schools in Lahore for one week

LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced the closure of private and government primary schools in Lahore for a week due to the worsening smog situation.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Senior Minister Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “We are giving a one-week holiday to government and private schools up to grade five. I urge parents to make sure children wear masks if they go outside. Elderly people and children should wear masks, and everyone should avoid going out unnecessarily.”

“Winds from India have brought smog to Pakistan. Since yesterday the smog situation in Lahore has deteriorated as the burning of crop residues and emissions in India have significantly increased air pollution. When winds carried the smog from Amritsar and Chandigarh to Pakistan, Lahore was severely affected,” she said.

Following the press conference, the Punjab government issued a notification announcing the closure of all public and private schools in Lahore for a week.

The education department said in the notification that smog particularly affects children in grades one to five, which is why schools are being closed for a week.

The notification said that there would be no classes for grades one to five in any school in Lahore for a week.

Lahore continues to top the list of the world’s most polluted cities, and winds from India have made the city’s air extremely hazardous, with the air quality index remaining above 1000.

Dense black clouds of smoke from Indian cities such as Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Bathinda, Karnal, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Attari are being blown into Pakistani areas by strong winds and swirling patterns.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Protection has issued a new smog alert for Lahore, and the latest updates on the smog situation are being shared through the Punjab government’s Green App.