LAHORE: In a bid to tackle the worsening air quality and protect public health, the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a province-wide change in school timings effective from Monday (tomorrow).

According to the order issued by Punjab EPA Director General Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh, all public and private schools, as well as special education centres across the province, shall not open before 8:45am from Nov 3, 2025, and the new timing would remain in force till Jan 31, 2026.

Any school found violating the new timing restrictions would face strict legal and administrative action and violators would be penalised with fines ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs500,000 for the first violation, and Rs600,000 to Rs1 million for subsequent offences.

The directive comes amid persistently hazardous air quality levels recorded in Lahore and its adjoining districts between Oct 19 to 30, 2025, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) ranged between 201 and 400, indicating unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions.

The EPA attributed the situation to stagnant meteorological patterns, temperature inversion, and calm winds, which had caused pollutants to accumulate in the lower atmosphere.

Air pollution in central Punjab to increase to dangerous levels

Dr Sheikh said that early morning vehicular emissions, primarily due to school traffic, were a significant contributor to rising particulate matter during peak smog hours. He said that adjusting school operating hours was a practical and necessary measure to mitigate smog intensity and safeguard children, who were among the most vulnerable.

Separately, the Punjab Environment Protection Department said that the air pollution in the central regions of Punjab would increase to dangerous levels due to polluted easterly winds coming from India.

According to the department, the polluted easterly winds from India were affecting Lahore’s air quality.

During this period, Lahore’s average AQI was expected to remain between 320 and 360. It said that Lahore was the third most polluted city in Pakistan and Lahore’s AQI had peaked at 450.

Meanwhile, on Saturday Lahore was ranked the second most polluted city in the world as its AQI soared to a “hazardous” level of 400 between 7am and 8am on Saturday. Delhi, India was marked as the most polluted city of the world at 9pm.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2025