Punjab, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 240 million people, has been suffocated for two weeks by record air pollution, and announced on Friday, November 15, that it would keep its schools closed for another week. The authorities had decided to organize classes remotely and try to limit the exposure of students to pollution in the main cities of this eastern province bordering India, disrupting the learning of nearly 16 million children.
Smog in Pakistan: schools in major Punjab cities closed for another week
“Schools up to universities will switch to remote classes to ensure the safety of students,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb, a minister in the Punjab government, on Friday. For two weeks, residents of the region have been caught in this mix of fog and pollutants, fueled by low-grade diesel fumes, seasonal agricultural burning and winter chills. For days, the air quality index has only fallen below the threshold considered “dangerous” for humans for a few hours.
Pakistan’s neighbor, India, is facing the same phenomenon. Authorities decided Thursday to close all primary schools in New Delhi, the country’s capital.
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