GPS News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Pakistan to reopen Punjab schools after smog improves
Pakistan to reopen Punjab schools after smog improves
by AFP Staff Writers
Lahore, Pakistan (AFP) Nov 19, 2024

Pakistani authorities announced that schools would reopen Wednesday in Punjab, the country's most populated province, after a drop in dangerous air pollution.

Schools have been closed for nearly two weeks in the province, home to nearly half the country's 240 million population, as dense smog hit "hazardous" levels.

"The ambient air quality has improved in Punjab, due to rain in upper parts of Punjab, change in wind direction and speed," the province's environmental agency said late Tuesday.

"Therefore, all the educational institutions in the whole province, including Lahore and Multan Division, shall be opened" beginning Wednesday morning, it said.

Students and staff will be required to wear face masks, it added, while also ordering a "complete ban on outdoor sports and outdoor co-curricular activities till further orders".

Breathing toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases can be triggered by prolonged exposure.

Since Sunday, the Air Quality Index has fallen below 300, the threshold considered "hazardous" for humans. Last week, the index hit a record high of 1,110.

But as of Tuesday evening, the concentration of PM2.5 micro-particle pollutants in Lahore was still more than ten times higher than levels deemed acceptable by the WHO.

A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by seasonal crop burn-off by farmers, blanket the city each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.

According to a University of Chicago study, high levels of pollution have already reduced life expectancy in Lahore, the capital of Punjab with its 14 million inhabitants, by 7.5 years.

Similar hazardous conditions have hit India's capital New Delhi, where classes have been moved online after air pollution surged past 60 times the WHO-recommended daily maximum.

Experts believe that modernising car fleets, reviewing farming methods and making the transition to renewable energies are the keys to overcoming the smog that paralyzes millions of Pakistanis and Indians every year.

strs/sbh/des/aha

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Russian invasion toll on environment $71 billion, Ukraine says
Baku (AFP) Nov 19, 2024
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused $71 billion in environmental damage and led to a surge in greenhouse gas emissions, the Ukrainian government told the COP29 summit in Baku. "Nature during this war is like a silent victim," said Svitlana Grynchuk, Ukraine's minister of environmental protection and natural resources. The climate impact, especially through destruction of forests that naturally balance carbon emissions, shows that the consequences of the war are "not just for Ukraine, but for ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Defiant Lebanese harvest olives in the shadow of war

Denmark's major parties agree carbon tax on livestock

Olive seeds from space mission begin growth in China

Planet expands partnership with Abelio for enhanced digital farming solutions

FROTH AND BUBBLE
MIT physicists predict exotic form of matter with potential for quantum computing

US finalizes up to $6.6 bn funding for chip giant TSMC

China's top chipmaker reports surge in profits

Nvidia surpasses Apple as world's biggest company

FROTH AND BUBBLE
AMSL Aero completes first free flight of Vertiia eVTOL

Electra unveils EL9 ultra short hybrid-electric aircraft design

Flights to Bali resume following volcanic eruption

NASA funds new studies looking at future of sustainable aircraft

FROTH AND BUBBLE
China's Xiaomi posts sales bump as EV deliveries speed up

China expanding advanced EV charging stations to meet growing demand

Bentley pushes back target of all-electric luxury cars to 2035

BMW's profits plunge as China sales slump

FROTH AND BUBBLE
China's Xi urges closer ties in meeting with Mexican president

China's Xi urges APEC unity in face of 'protectionism'

G20 leaders talk climate, wars -- and brace for Trump's return

Strike at French maker Hennessy over measures in China spat

FROTH AND BUBBLE
How forest density affects tree movement and resilience

Biden touts climate legacy in landmark Amazon visit

Biden in historic Amazon trip as Trump return sparks climate fears

EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Sentinel-1C prepared for launch following successful fuelling

Extreme heat disrupts land's carbon absorption abilities

ESA bolsters Greece's Earth observation with new contracts

Distinguishing snow from clouds

FROTH AND BUBBLE
New Technique Enables Mass Production of Metal Nanowires

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.