Record-high pollution sickens thousands in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore

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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Record-high air pollution in Pakistan’s Punjab province prompted authorities to close additional schools and keep government employees at home Wednesday, as doctors reported an increase in people seeking treatment for smog-related ailments.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in the Punjab province, urged residents to voluntarily wear face masks and avoid unnecessary travel, and said that “otherwise, the government will be forced into a complete lockdown.”

Lahore, the provincial capital of 14 million people and Pakistan’s cultural hub, remained the world’s most polluted city on Wednesday with Air Quality Index readings of over 1,100. Anything over 300 is considered hazardous to health.

Authorities earlier in the week shut down schools in Lahore. On Wednesday they closed schools in 18 surrounding districts. Aurangzeb said 50% of government employees in Lahore were told to work from home until next week.

The pollution has been sending patients to hospitals and private clinics complaining of coughs or burning eyes.

“Tens of thousands of patients suffering from respiratory diseases were treated at hospitals and clinics in a week,” said Salman Kazmi, vice president of the Pakistan Medical Association.

Kazmi said that you can see people coughing whereever you go in Lahore, but that people are still not wearing face masks to protect themselves from the pollution.

Authorities in the city already have banned barbecuing food without filters, as well as the use of motorized rickshaws — and wedding halls must close by 10 p.m.

The government said it was also looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution.