In brief
Record pollution levels prompt urgent measures as city grapples with air quality crisis.
Classes at primary schools in Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, will be suspended for one week due to alarming air pollution levels recorded over the weekend. Punjab education officials made the decision on Sunday, citing the "deteriorating Air Quality Index" after the city experienced an unprecedented AQI reading of over 1,000. The index categorizes anything above 301 as hazardous, with PM2.5 pollutant concentrations soaring nearly 30 times higher than the safe limits set by the World Health Organization.Environmental lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam described the situation as "an apocalypse," noting that pollution was so extreme that it defied conventional classification. The latest data ranks Lahore as the second-most polluted city globally, just behind New Delhi, according to statistics from IQAir. Pakistan has gained notoriety for poor air quality, often listed among the countries with the worst pollution levels.Residents of Lahore face significant health risks due to this severe air pollution, which the Pakistan Climate Change Council suggests could lead to a loss of up to two years in life expectancy for urban dwellers.
