More than 11 million children under the age of five are exposed to toxic air as Punjab, especially Lahore, has been gripped by severe smog for the past few weeks.
UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil expressed concern over the health issues, saying the worse quality of air will affect young children and pregnant women the most.
Different cities of Punjab, including Lahore and Multan, have continued to battle with toxic smog for the past couple of weeks despite various mitigation measures taken by the provincial government as the level of pollutants in the air rises with the drop in temperatures.
The situation has led to hundreds of people being hospitalised including dozens of children with air pollution so severe that it is now visible from space.
Keeping in view the situation, the authorities restricted all outdoor activities in Lahore, including school closures and a ban on entry in parks and other open-air public places last week.
Earlier today, the provincial government also banned all outdoor activities in Multan, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad, the most affected districts after Lahore, till November 17.
“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12% of deaths in children under five in Pakistan were due to air pollution. The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women,” Fadil said.
