ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed authorities in Punjab’s capital Lahore to extend the winter holidays of educational institutions by seven days, local media reported, as the smog situation in the city worsens. 

Lahore, which is frequently described as the cultural capital of Pakistan, faces heavy smog in the winter months as farmers burn the stubble of harvested crops before planting new ones. Last week, the Punjab government announced schools would remain closed three days a week while private offices would remain shut for two days a week. 

According to Lahore Air, a community-based air-quality monitoring service, the latest ranking showed the PM2.5 concentration in Lahore to be at 214 μg/m³, which is considered “very unhealthy”. PM2.5 is lung-damaging particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns.

Taking notice of the situation, the LHC issued orders to the Punjab government during a hearing on Tuesday to extend winter break in educational institutions for seven days. It also summoned the chief of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) for the next hearing, local media reported. 

“LHC announced the decision for the closure of the educational institutions while hearing petitions seeking the court’s intervention for smog control. The court also summoned the Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) director general in the next hearing,” Pakistani news website Samaa.tv reported.

“During the hearing, the court said that the smog is being controlled to an extent, adding that the government is responsible for the prevention of the smog,” it added. 

The next hearing will take place on Friday, December 30.

Earlier this month, the LHC directed authorities to close markets and restaurants in the city by 10pm in view of intense smog and its negative health effects on residents.

Punjab chief minister, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, has described the smog situation as a “calamity” and instructed the environmental protection department to address its causes. He has also announced his administration’s decision to act against farmers who burn crop stubble, which is an illegal practice in the province.