(Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s smog situation has gone from bad to worse as air pollution rose to a record in Lahore.
Sensors tracked by the Swiss monitor IQAir recorded an air quality index of 1,300 in the country’s second-largest city at 5 p.m. local time, the highest this year and well beyond a level of 50 that is deemed safe.
Lahore has been the world’s most polluted city for most of November, forcing the local government to close schools, shut parks and museums until Nov. 18, enforce mask wearing and ask offices to operate at reduced capacity.
Pakistan and North India suffer from a chronic air pollution crisis that worsens during winter, much of it caused by crop burning and low wind speed. Climate advocacy group Pakistan Air Quality Initiative in a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week outlined measures to help reduce pollution including shutting brick kilns and cracking down on vehicles that fail to meet emission standards.
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