Pakistani court orders authorities to close schools on Saturdays in smog-hit Punjab

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani high court on Monday ordered authorities in Punjab to close schools and colleges on Saturdays and implement a two-day work-from-home policy to curb high levels of smog in the province, local media widely reported.
The caretaker government in Punjab imposed a “smog emergency” on Nov. 1 after the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered authorities to take measures to curb high levels of pollution in the province, especially Lahore. The city, Pakistan’s second-largest by population, suffers from high levels of air pollution and ranks regularly at the top of IQAir AirVisual’s live pollution rankings of major global cities.
The smog season peaks between October and February every year due to the common practice of burning crop residue, particularly in Indian Punjab, to prepare the soil for the upcoming planting season. This smoke significantly contributes to the presence of hazardous particles in the air and causes smog on the Pakistani side of the Punjab region, especially Lahore.
While hearing a case related to the smog situation in Punjab, LHC’s Justice Shahid Karim held the provincial government responsible for pollution in the province.
“All schools and colleges will remain closed on Saturdays … Work-from-home policy should be followed twice a week,” Pakistani news website Dawn.com quoted Justice Karim as saying.
The judge ordered the district commissioners of Jhang, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnagar and Sheikhupura cities in Punjab to be replaced immediately, adding that videos of crop residue burning were upsetting to watch.
“Chief Secretary Punjab should issue notification to transfer these officers,” the judge said, according to Dawn.com. He also advised the government to provide electric motorcycles for their local staff to reduce emissions from vehicles which contribute to pollution.
Not only does smog disrupt life in Punjab, it also causes serious health problems and accidents in Lahore and other areas of the province, where people complain of difficulty in breathing and having sore eyes. Authorities often restrict road travel via motorways due to near-zero visibility as smog prevails.