Air pollution in Lahore was 80 times higher than the WHO limit

Air pollution in Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore, hit an all-time high on Saturday, as pollution levels were 80 times higher than what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers acceptable.

The level of PM2.5 particles in the air - which cause the most damage to health - reached 1.067, and then fell to around 300 in the morning.

Any figure above 10 of these particles in the air is considered unhealthy by the WHO.

"We have never reached the 1.000 level," said Jahangir Anwar, senior environmental protection official in Lahore, in several responses to the AFP news agency.

For days, Lahorja has been suffocated by smog, which is caused by the mixture of fog and smoke from burning oil and coal for heating.

"The air quality index will remain high in the next 3-4 days", said Anwar.

On Wednesday, the environmental protection agency in Lahore introduced new restrictions at four key points in the city.

Small tuk-tuk cars, which have powerful engines, have been banned from circulation, as well as the operation of restaurants that have grills without filters.

Government offices and private companies have been asked to keep some workers at home and work remotely starting Monday.

Construction work has stopped, while street food vendors must finish work at 20:00 p.m.