LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed private offices to halve their staff’s presence at offices at the earliest in wake of thick layer of toxic smog in the country’s cultural capital and surroundings.
Reports in local media said Justice Shahid Karim ordered the concerned authorities to summon sessions regarding the employees working in state-run offices.
The court also directed provincial authorities to take all possible measures to curb smog as medical professionals warned of an alarming rise in respiratory illness among children and adults.
Meanwhile, Judicial Water & Environmental Commission also recommended the closure of schools in metropolitan in wake of alarming air pollution however the court rejected the proposal.
Furthermore, Justice Karim ordered the authorities to set up a traffic emergency helpline to assist people with complaints about traffic issues.
Punjab provincial capital has been declared the second-most polluted city in the world after the AQI index soared to 500 in parts of metropolitan.
Record-breaking air pollution chokes Lahore as AQI crosses 700
The smog issue has worsened in the South Asian country in recent years, as a mixture of micro fumes, smolder from seasonal crop burn-off, and colder temperatures coalesce into smog clouds.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister’s spokesperson Hassan Khawar hinted that the situation is not ‘hazardous’ as of now but if the conditions worsened schools will be closed.
