LAHORE: As part of its efforts to bring pollution levels down, the Punjab caretaker government on Tuesday announced observing a four-day holiday — from November 9 to 12 — in worst hit areas by smog.
Addressing a press conference, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi said the holidays will be observed from Thursday (Iqbal Day — a national holiday) till Sunday, hoping that it would help curb smog.
The holiday will be observed in the Lahore Division — Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, and Nankana Sahib districts. It will also be applicable in Gujranwala and Hafizabad.
"We are also imposing a health emergency," he added.
The provincial authorities had mulled last month to impose an additional weekly off, but as the situation improved, they decided against it, saying that they would keep monitoring the situation.
The IQ Air showed that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the provincial capital Lahore has spiked to 374, while Multan stood at 442. Pindi Bhattian's AQI was at 257 and Rawalpindi 175.
An AQI of 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 is very unhealthy, and 301 to 500 is hazardous.
"A national holiday will be observed on November 9, and on November 10 we will shut schools and offices in Punjab," the provincial chief executive told reporters in Lahore during the press briefing.
Naqvi said schools are already closed on Saturdays and Sundays, but if a school isn't closed this Saturday, then they will be asked to remain shut.
CM Naqvi, whose caretaker administration has taken over the reins until an elected government comes in, said markets will be shut on Saturdays, and if the traders think it feasible, they can close shop on Friday as well.
"This is my appeal to the people: stay indoors for four days [...] we have decided on this one-day holiday after deep deliberations," Naqvi added.
In his press conference earlier, the chief minister noted that Lahore had become the "worst smog-hit city" across the globe. He said there were reports of children having trouble breathing and they were also affected by eye infections.
The chief minister noted that through these measures, the government can make the air quality better, but cannot completely eradicate smog.
He said if people want to remain in Lahore for these four days, they should stay inside their homes — so that there is less pollution.
"People should wear masks in general, while children and the elderly should make sure that they wear it," the CM added, noting that they were not shutting down factories.
The chief minister, although noting that there were internal factors for this, blamed neighbouring India for the worsening air quality in Punjab.
"Indians burn more crop residue than us," he said, and in response to a question, noted: "Definitely, as we are on the border, the burning of crop residue has an effect on us."
CM says she will return to country in 2 days, confirms she had been in Switzerland for medical check-ups
Nawaz regrets the incident, saying such individuals “trained and groomed” for chasing people
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed terrorists, says ISPR
PTI demands include withdrawal of 26th Constitutional Amendment and return of "stolen mandate"
To ensure implementation of SHC's order, Bangwar had reportedly issued eviction notices to ex-officials
Complaints about slow browsing speeds surge as unregistered VPNs are widely used to bypass restrictions
