The UN's children's organization Unicef says that at least eleven million children in the metropolitan area of Lahore in Pakistan and its surroundings are exposed to direct health hazards due to severe air pollution.
The toxic smog has been hanging heavy over the historically important city and an additional 17 regions in the province of Punjab for nearly a month. Health authorities estimate that over 40,000 residents have been treated for respiratory problems.
Unicef's representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, says in a statement that the government and authorities must intensify their efforts to reduce air pollution as millions of children under five are directly at risk.
"Before these record levels, around twelve percent of child mortality was due to air pollution. It will take time to calculate how this year's enormous smog affects the population, but we know that a doubling or tripling of the increase has devastating effects, especially for children and pregnant women", notes Abdullah Fadil.
In recent times, schools in the Lahore region have been forced to close due to health risks from smog.
