LAHORE (Dunya News) - Educational activities resumed across Punjab, including Lahore, on Wednesday following a decrease in smog intensity.
Physical classes have been resumed province-wide, with schools opening no earlier than 8:45 am. Both students and teachers are now required to wear masks.
Outdoor sports and extracurricular activities are prohibited in schools, and to avoid traffic congestion, schools have been directed to set staggered dismissal times for different classes.
It may be recalled that on November 6 schools in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan divisions were closed due to smog. On November 12 schools in five more divisions of Punjab were closed due to increasing air pollution. A notification was issued ordering closure of schools in Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, and Rawalpindi divisions.
According to notification, the chools in these areas were to remain closed until Nov 17. But the closure was extended as air pollution persisted.
However, the Punjab government ordered on Tuesday reopening education institutions from Wednesday (today).
POLLUTION PERSISTS
Meanwhile, Lahore remains the second most polluted city in the world, with an average AQI (air quality index) level of 288, which is considered extremely unhealthy. The air quality index in the American Consulate area has reached 507, that is considered hazardous.
Indian capital Delhi was the most polluted city according to Swiss monitor IQAir with AQI 489. Lahore's AQI was 441 at around 10:00 am.