Smog in Pakistan. “When my child came home, he suddenly felt short of breath and dizzy.”

On Wednesday, the AQI air pollution index in Lahore, the province's main economic center, reached 1,165, placing this city of 14 million people first in the ranking of the most polluted cities in the world. In second place was the capital of India – New Delhi – with a score of 299.

Lahore recorded record levels of air pollution late last week. The level of 1,000 was exceeded there for the first time.

An AQI of 0-50 is considered good, while pollution between 400-500 has a very negative impact on healthy people and poses a high risk to people struggling with diseases. A value above 800 is considered fatal.

In Punjab, all schools have been closed until November 17. Earlier, in Lahore, it was decided to close primary schools for a week and to cancel all outdoor sports activities for three months, India Today reported.

– When my child returned home after playing outdoors, he suddenly felt short of breath and dizzy. We quickly took him to the hospital. Doctors said that smog caused breathing problems – said one of the residents of Lahore.

Residents have been banned from using motorized rickshaws, construction work has been suspended, and street vendors who cook on open fires must close at 8 p.m. On Monday, half of employees in public institutions switched to remote work.

The local authorities have established an initiative to combat air pollution, called the “smog war room”. The team includes representatives of eight regional departments. – The committee will check twice a day weather forecasts and air quality, and monitored the efficiency and operation of field services, explained Sajif Bashir, spokesman for the provincial environmental protection department. It is also supposed to issue advice and recommendations for residents regarding smog.

The causes of air pollution are the low quality of exhaust gases, the burning of stubbles controlled by farmers for new crops, and the cooling and wind coming from the Indian state bordering Pakistan, a region rich in agriculture.

Very high concentrations of smog also remain in northern India. On Tuesday in New Delhi, the pollution level at about 30 percent of measuring stations exceeded 400. This is more than eight times higher than the value that defines air quality as good.

The country is considering the scenario of causing artificial rain to improve air quality. An appeal in this regard was made by Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai.