Tag: Lahore schools in smog

  • Schools to reopen tomorrow in Multan and Lahore

    Schools to reopen tomorrow in Multan and Lahore

    The Punjab government has issued a notification to reopen schools in Lahore and Multan starting tomorrow (Wednesday) as the smog situation has improved.

    The notification was issued by Environment Department Director General Imran Hamid Sheikh, who announced the reopening of educational institutions “in the whole province, including Lahore and Multan” starting tomorrow, November 20.

    Days after the government announced the closure of schools and eventually the educational institutes due to the cities’ air quality reaching hazardous levels, the government has decided to reopen them. 

    Certain restrictions have, nonetheless, also been imposed to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. These include all educational institutes, which shall not open before 8:45 am. Students and teachers are required to wear masks throughout the school day, outdoor activities will be banned, and schools shall close within class-wise school hours to avoid traffic congestion.  

    The Environment Department urged schools to strictly adhere to these guidelines to mitigate the impact of smog and air pollution in their area.

    Improvement in the smog situation in the province prompted the provincial government to implement the decision to reopen schools in Punjab.

  • 11m children under five exposed to hazardous smog in Punjab: Unicef

    11m children under five exposed to hazardous smog in Punjab: Unicef


    The toxic smog has reached alarming levels and almost engulfed entire north and central Punjab, including the provincial capital, and some parts of south Punjab in the last few weeks, more than 11 million children under the age of five are currently exposed to toxic air across the province. 


    “The worse air quality will affect young children and pregnant women the most,” United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) country representative Abdullah Fadil cautioned the other day. 


    The intensity of smog could be gauged from the fact that it peaked in Multan a couple of days ago after Lahore despite ‘so-called’ anti-smog measures adopted by the Punjab government.


    The smog-related diseases have also prevailed as a good number of people, especially children, are being admitted to hospitals in different cities.


    Realising the gravity of the situation, the provincial authorities restricted all outdoor activities in Lahore, including school closures, a ban on entry in parks and open eateries and closure of shops at 8pm last week.


    On Monday, the provincial government also banned all outdoor activities in Multan, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad, the most affected districts after Lahore, till November 17. 


    “Approximately 12% of deaths in children under five in Pakistan were due to air pollution but the impact of this year’s extraordinary smog [on children and pregnant women’ will take time to assess,” UNICEF’s Fadil said. 


    “Young children are most affected because of smaller lungs and lack of immunities. They also breathe twice as fast as adults and consume more air, often through the mouth, along with pollutants, leading to life-threatening respiratory diseases,” he noted.


    The Unicef representative further said that the potential impact of air pollutants could be extreme on babies’ developing lungs and brains, as breathing in particulate air pollution could damage brain tissue and undermine cognitive development, with lifelong implications and setbacks.


    “When pregnant women are exposed to polluted air, they are more likely to give birth prematurely, face respiratory issues, and their babies may have a low birth weight.” 


    The Unicef, Fadil added, was supporting awareness measures as part of the Punjab government’s official plan to reduce the smog. “The global body is also advocating and working with government departments to reduce emissions with the help of strategies like transitioning to renewable energy,” he maintained.

  • Special children in Lahore get smog holidays

    Special children in Lahore get smog holidays

    Holidays have been announced from November 1 to January 31, 2025 for special children in Lahore.

    A notification issued by the Punjab government states that special children have been stopped from coming to school and the government has decided to give them leaves from November 1 to January 31, 2025.

    Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz for Special Education Sania Ashiq issued the notification in which she stated that on the instructions of Chief Minister Punjab, special children will be given leave from schools as reports suggest that those suffering from broncho-vascular, cardiovascular and immunodeficiency diseases specially get affected by the smog in the environment.

    Sania Ashiq stated that special children of all government and private institutes will be given leave under the Punjab Environment Act 1997. She asserted that the purpose of this leave is to protect them from diseases because health experts have declared the atmosphere of Lahore as dangerous for them.

    Soaring environmental pollution is increasing the chances of developing chest diseases, throat diseases, respiratory diseases, colds, coughs, allergies and others are high among special children.

    The Punjab government has already imposed a “green lockdown” in Lahore which will take affect from today and under this the restrictions will be imposed on identified smog hotspots.