Pakistan: Punjab govt declares four-day holiday due to pollution-fuelled smog; schools, markets closed

Heavy pollution-fuelled smog has forced authorities in Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, including the eastern city of Lahore, to close markets and schools. The government in the province announced a four-day public holiday in several districts to mitigate the impact of smog.

What isPunjab government’s plan?

The provincial government has announced a public holiday from November 9 to 12.

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“The government has decided to close down markets for four days from 9 to 12 November in the major cities of Punjab because of smog on the advisory of the health department,” said Amir Mir, the information minister for Punjab.

According to a directive from the provincial government, schools, offices, restaurants, and businesses aside from priority services like pharmacies, hospitals and courts, would all close to limit residents’ movement outside.

The Pakistani province is home to more than 110 million people.

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Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi told a press conferenceon Tuesday (Nov 7) that the public holiday will take effect in Lahore, Gujranwala and Hafizabad divisions of the province.

Marriage halls and bakeries will also be open, said Naqvi, according to PTI news agency.

Situation in Lahore

The provincial capital of Lahore has been among the most polluted cities and its air quality was the worst in the world on Wednesday (Nov 8), according to Swiss group IQAir.

The air quality index of the Pakistani province was at a “hazardous” 432, followed by India’s capital Delhi at 302.

The caretaker Pakistani CM has also reportedly attributed the spread of smog in Lahore and other parts of the province to the burning of the residues of crops in the Indian state of Punjab and requested caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to take action.

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Kakar assured the Punjab government of taking up the smog issue with India. This comes as growing industrialisation in South Asia in recent decades has led to more pollutants from factories, construction activity and vehicles. The issue becomes severe in cooler autumn and winter months.

Heavy smog blanketed Lahore this week leading to low visibility and prompting residents to complain of a threat to their health. “The weather is such that everyone has a bad throat and bad eyes, and everyone's health is getting affected,” said Mohammad Salahuddin, a private guard in Lahore, as quoted by Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)