LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) – Worsening air pollution in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has sickened an estimated 1.8 million people in the past month, health officials said Tuesday, forcing schools across the province to protect children’s health. A five-day school closure order was issued.
Punjab, a state with a population of 127 million, has been struggling to combat smog since last month.
“More than 1.8 million people visited hospitals and private clinics in smog-hit areas of Punjab in the past 30 days, most of them suffering from respiratory-related illnesses and burning eyes,” a ministry spokesperson said. said Ahsan Riaz. Department of Health.
Officials have previously said that tens of thousands of people have been treated in hospitals in recent weeks, but Lias said Tuesday that the number of people affected by the smog is much higher and hospitals are unable to accommodate such patients. He said it was overflowing.
The statewide school closures come more than a week after authorities closed schools in 18 smog-hit districts. toxic smog Since October, it has blanketed Pakistan’s cultural capital Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab province.
The government was forced to close all facilities last week parks and museums 10 days.
Authorities are urging people to avoid unnecessary travel as a record wave of smog is causing respiratory illnesses and eye infections.
This latest development comes as the United Nations children’s agency warns that the health of 11 million children in Pakistan’s Punjab province is at risk due to air pollution, which experts say is in its fifth season in recent years. It was announced the next day.
The province’s city of Multan remained the most polluted city on Tuesday, with an air quality index reading of around 700, according to the Punjab Environmental Protection Department. Anything over 300 is considered dangerous to health.
Authorities have ordered mandatory mask-wearing, but this has been widely ignored. The government also said it was considering ways to induce artificial rain to combat pollution.
