The level of fine particles of class 2.5 in the air, which cause great harm to health, reached its peak at 1,067, before falling to about 300 in the morning, noting that any level higher than this number is considered by the World Health Organization to be a “danger,” according to Agence France-Presse.
An Environmental Protection Agency official said Lahore Jahangir Anwar told AFP: “We have never reached the level of one thousand.”
For days, the city of Lahore remained shrouded in smog, a mixture of fog and pollutants from low-quality diesel fumes and smoke from seasonal agricultural fires.
“The air quality index will remain high during the next three or four days,” Anwar added.
The local Environmental Protection Agency announced new restrictions on Wednesday in four areas of the city. The use of tuk-tuks equipped with polluting engines, as well as restaurants that grill without filters, has been banned.
Also, half of the employees of government offices and private companies will work from home starting Monday, and construction work has also stopped.
Smog is especially evident in the winter when the cold, denser air traps emissions from poor-quality fuels used to power the city’s vehicles and factories.
