Solar Energy News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Pakistan to reopen Punjab schools after smog improves
Pakistan to reopen Punjab schools after smog improves
by AFP Staff Writers
Lahore, Pakistan (AFP) Nov 19, 2024

Pakistani authorities announced that schools would reopen Wednesday in Punjab, the country's most populated province, after a drop in dangerous air pollution.

Schools have been closed for nearly two weeks in the province, home to nearly half the country's 240 million population, as dense smog hit "hazardous" levels.

"The ambient air quality has improved in Punjab, due to rain in upper parts of Punjab, change in wind direction and speed," the province's environmental agency said late Tuesday.

"Therefore, all the educational institutions in the whole province, including Lahore and Multan Division, shall be opened" beginning Wednesday morning, it said.

Students and staff will be required to wear face masks, it added, while also ordering a "complete ban on outdoor sports and outdoor co-curricular activities till further orders".

Breathing toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases can be triggered by prolonged exposure.

Since Sunday, the Air Quality Index has fallen below 300, the threshold considered "hazardous" for humans. Last week, the index hit a record high of 1,110.

But as of Tuesday evening, the concentration of PM2.5 micro-particle pollutants in Lahore was still more than ten times higher than levels deemed acceptable by the WHO.

A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by seasonal crop burn-off by farmers, blanket the city each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.

According to a University of Chicago study, high levels of pollution have already reduced life expectancy in Lahore, the capital of Punjab with its 14 million inhabitants, by 7.5 years.

Similar hazardous conditions have hit India's capital New Delhi, where classes have been moved online after air pollution surged past 60 times the WHO-recommended daily maximum.

Experts believe that modernising car fleets, reviewing farming methods and making the transition to renewable energies are the keys to overcoming the smog that paralyzes millions of Pakistanis and Indians every year.

strs/sbh/des/aha

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Russian invasion toll on environment $71 billion, Ukraine says
Baku (AFP) Nov 19, 2024
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused $71 billion in environmental damage and led to a surge in greenhouse gas emissions, the Ukrainian government told the COP29 summit in Baku. "Nature during this war is like a silent victim," said Svitlana Grynchuk, Ukraine's minister of environmental protection and natural resources. The climate impact, especially through destruction of forests that naturally balance carbon emissions, shows that the consequences of the war are "not just for Ukraine, but for ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Turning automotive engines into modular chemical plants to make green fuels

Sacred cow: coal-hungry India eyes bioenergy to cut carbon

Waste heat from London sewers eyed to warm UK parliament

Bio-based fibers may have greater environmental impact than traditional plastics

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Invisible touch Stevens team empowers AI to sense and evaluate surfaces

Can robots learn from machine dreams?

Workshop emphasizes role of AI in advancing space exploration

Understanding the sense of self through robotics

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Sweden blocks 13 offshore wind farms over defence concerns

Sweden's defence concerned by planned offshore wind power

On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument

Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island

FROTH AND BUBBLE
China's Xiaomi posts sales bump as EV deliveries speed up

China expanding advanced EV charging stations to meet growing demand

Bentley pushes back target of all-electric luxury cars to 2035

BMW's profits plunge as China sales slump

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Spinning fusion fuel for efficiency

Tackling the energy revolution, one sector at a time

NASA opens Power Systems essay contest for K12 students

In search of high-performance materials for fusion reactors

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Framatome's PROtect fuel achieves key milestone at Gosgen Nuclear Plant in Switzerland

Framatome and Nuclearelectrica partner to produce Lutetium-177 in Romania

Vietnam looks to restart nuclear power projects

US touts Trump-proof nuclear expansion plans at COP29

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Climate finance can be hard sell, says aide to banks and PMs

'Vague' net zero rules threaten climate targets, scientists warn

US says its climate financing reached $11 bn this year

Trump picks Doug Burgum as energy czar in new administration

FROTH AND BUBBLE
How forest density affects tree movement and resilience

Biden touts climate legacy in landmark Amazon visit

Biden in historic Amazon trip as Trump return sparks climate fears

EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.