IslamabadcTypeface:>Pakistan on Thursday put parts of its second-largest city under a climate lockdown, sending sick children on three months’ leave and advising people to wear face masks as hazardous air quality worsened to a dangerous level, officials said.
At least 11 neighbourhoods were put under what officials called "green lockdown” in the eastern metropolis of Lahore as a thick layer of black smog engulfed the city. The authorities also sent children with the history of lung disease or breathing issues on three months’ leave, Provincial Minister Maryum Aurangzeb said.
Lahore remained the world’s most polluted city for most of this week. Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz invited her counterpart from India’s Punjab province to begin climate diplomacy in order to tackle smog that hit both the regions in winters. (DPA)