LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the closure of commercial markets by 8pm across province from Monday to Saturday as a measure to tackle smog.
Justice Shahid Karim issued the order while hearing petitions related to worsening smog situation in different cities of Lahore. He also ordered the closure of all markets on Sundays.
“We are facing emergency situation due to smog,” the judge remarked while issuing directives for shifting to work from home policy.
The high court also ordered ban of smoke-emitting vehicles on motorways and ring road in Lahore. He remarked that such measures would not yield results in one year as it would take five years to witness positive impacts.
Justice Shahid cited the example of China in tackling smog.
Meanwhile, Lahore continues to top of the list of the world’s most polluted cities for several days. According to Swiss monitoring agency, IQAir, the air quality index in the Punjab capital city recorded at 738 which hazardous for people.
PM2.5 concentration in Lahore is currently 89 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value, posing threat to health of citizens.
In Lahore, hospitals saw surge in respiratory issues, affecting thousands, mostly young people and old ones. With the air quality deemed hazardous, medical professionals have advised residents to stay indoors and wear masks when going outside, as the city’s atmosphere has become increasingly difficult to breathe in.
The provincial authorities also shut down all educational institutions in Lahore and other affected districts for next 10 days. Schools in the affected areas will shift to online classes during this period to minimize exposure to the harmful air.
