A huge smog cloud over South Asia is now so large that it can be seen from space, according to NASA.<\/p>\n
In Pakistan, the city of Lahore has been especially affected, causing schools, parks, and even zoos to close as officials urge people to stay indoors. Just weeks ago, Lahore was ranked the world\u2019s most polluted city, with the Air Quality Index hitting dangerously high levels, well above 1,000, far surpassing the \u201chazardous\u201d mark of 300.<\/p>\n
More than 14 million people in Lahore are facing record-breaking smog, which is harmful to breathe and blocks sunlight, creating constant hazy skies. To protect health, schools are closed at least until November 17, and many workers have been told to work from home. \u201cYou can\u2019t even open your doors and windows because then the smog comes in, and it\u2019s terrible,\u201d said Rafia Iqbal, a teacher in Lahore.<\/p>\n
NASA images reveal that much of the pollution comes from nearby fires. In both Pakistan and India, farmers often burn leftover crops after harvest to clear fields quickly, releasing smoke that mixes with vehicle emissions and factory pollution. Lahore\u2019s large number of motorbikes, cars, and coal-fired brick factories contribute to the poor air quality.<\/p>\n
This combination of smoke, traffic pollution, and industrial emissions has created a smog cloud so vast it can be seen far beyond Earth\u2019s surface, highlighting the serious impact of pollution on people\u2019s daily lives and health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A huge smog cloud over South Asia is now so large that it can be seen from space, according to NASA. In Pakistan, the city of Lahore has been especially affected, causing schools, parks, and even zoos to close as officials urge people to stay indoors. Just weeks ago, Lahore was ranked the world\u2019s most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":198941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n