File photo. Arif Ali—AFP
Interim Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday announced that schools and colleges will remain closed this Friday (Nov. 24) and Saturday (Nov. 25) in smog-hit districts, as the provincial government scrambles to improve the air quality index amidst a surge in ailments among citizens.
Addressing a press conference after chairing a meeting of the anti-smog committee, he said the restrictions would apply in the worst-hit divisions of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and Sahiwal. Detailing the committee’s decisions, he said authorities were working on multiple measures, including ones aimed at the long-term, the short-term and merely symbolic.
For long-term measures, he said, the government had decided to provide 10,000 students in smog-hit districts with subsidized electric motorcycles. This is a continuation of a policy to provide government employees with electric bikes on lease, he added. Additionally, he said, the government hoped to induce artificial rain around Nov. 29, but warned this was reliant on the right type of clouds and may or may not be achievable.
In the short-term, he said, the government had decided to allow markets and restaurants to open after 3 p.m. on Friday. Similarly, markets, restaurants, and offices would be permitted to open after 3 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, he warned, authorities would enforce a complete shuttering of all markets. The ongoing watering of roads—aimed at reducing the particulate matter in the atmosphere—would be doubled in the smog-hit divisions, he added.
In a symbolic measure, he announced, authorities had decided to keep Lahore’s Mall Road restricted to bicycles until 5 p.m. on Sunday—though cars would still be permitted to utilize the side-lanes.
The caretaker concluded his press conference by urging citizens to wear masks in public spaces. “The AQI [air quality index] is high, which is primarily because of crop stubble burning in India that we all have to suffer from,” he added.
The AQI in Lahore ranged from “very unhealthy” to “hazardous” on Thursday, placing it in the unenviable position of the most polluted city in the world. The sustained air pollution has proven a danger to public health, with hospitals reporting a surge in patients with respiratory problems.