Pakistani officials say dangerously poor air quality has forced the provincial government in Lahore to close primary schools for a week.

Pakistan's second city of Lahore will close primary schools for a week over record pollution, government authorities said Sunday, to avoid exposing millions of children to smog several times above levels deemed dangerous.

The city of Lahore reported hazardous levels of air pollution on Sunday. Pakistani officials have blamed India for some of it.

Lahore has closed primary schools for a week as air quality reaches record hazardous levels, mandates face masks for residents.

Unprecedented air pollution in the Pakistani city of Lahore has forced authorities to close all primary schools for a week. From Monday, 50% of office workers will also work from home, as part of a "green lockdown" plan. Other measures include bans on engine-powered rickshaws and vendors that barbecue without filters.

The smog crisis in Lahore, similar to the situation in India's capital Delhi, tends to worsen during cooler months due to temperature inversion trapping pollution closer to the ground. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.

Punjab government announced the closure of all government and private primary schools for one week, effective Monday.

Lahore has closed primary schools due to record pollution levels. Air pollution hit 40 times higher than acceptable. PM2.5 levels peaked at 610 micrograms per cubic meter, and the air quality index reached 1,

The air quality index exceeded 1,000 on Nov 2, well above the level of 300 considered “dangerous”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

WHO