ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday that the government has made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in Punjab's smog-hit districts for a week, amid rising levels of air pollution in the province. 

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 in Lahore. 

The smog situation in Punjab intensified earlier this week to the extent that a Pakistani court on Monday ordered authorities to close schools and colleges on Saturdays and adopt a two-day work-from-home policy. 

"In response to deteriorating Air Quality, the Punjab Government announces a 1-week mandate for wearing of face masks for all citizens in smog-affected districts of Punjab," Naqvi wrote on social media platform X.  

Citizens would have to wear face masks in Lahore Division (Lahore district, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur) and Gujranwala Division (Gujranwala district, Sialkot, Gujrat, Narowal, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin) during outdoor activities, according to a notification by the Punjab health department shared by Naqvi.  

Citizens would be required to wear face masks from Nov. 20-26, the notification added.  

"Prioritizing health is our collective responsibility. Please adhere to the guidelines for a safer community," Naqvi wrote.  

The Punjab government 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. Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest by population and the capital of Punjab, suffers from high levels of air pollution and ranks regularly at the top of IQAir AirVisual’s pollution rankings of major global cities. 

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 soreness of the eyes. Authorities often restrict road travel via motorways due to near-zero visibility as smog prevails.