"The authorities in Lahore, home to 13 million people and the country’s second-biggest city, have told half the work force to stay home."

"Impounding polluting vehicles. Tearing down kilns. Banning rickshaws. Closing some barbecue restaurants.

These are some of the measures officials in Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, have put in place as record-breaking air pollution chokes the region, hospitalizing hundreds and forcing students and workers to stay home.

Lahore, the capital of Punjab and Pakistan’s second-largest city, on Sunday had its worst air quality ever recorded, prompting the government to shut all primary schools this week. In the days since, the city has been cloaked in toxic, eye-irritating smog. On Thursday, Lahore had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.

“The air feels thick, and it’s exhausting just to breathe,” Safdar Masih, 42, a gardener in Lahore, said on Thursday. Even with windows and doors shut, the smog had seeped into homes, he said."

Yan Zhuang and Zia ur-Rehman report for the New York Times November 7, 2024. [2]