The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has raised concerns about the health risks facing 11 million children in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province due to worsening air pollution, which experts say has effectively become a "fifth season" in recent years.

Due to the poor air quality, schools have been closed until November 17 and the locals have been exempted from visiting public parks, zoos, playgrounds and museums. These measures are taken to reduce public exposure to smog,

Unicef's representative in Pakistan issued a stark warning about the severe health risks posed by hazardous air quality in Punjab, impacting over 11 million children. The alarming pollution levels have prompted school closures and restrictions on public spaces.

Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF's representative, recently stated that nearly 12 per cent of deaths in children under the age of 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution.

ISLAMABAD: Unicef Pakistan has called for urgent and pragmatic efforts to reduce air pollution and protect children’s health, as over 11 million children under five years of age are exposed to this smog in the worst-affected districts in Punjab.

Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments. UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah ...