The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a stern warning, declaring smog a severe threat to one million children across Punjab.

According to UNICEF’s statement, air pollution levels in Lahore and other districts recently soared to 100 times above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safety guidelines.

Abdullah A. Fadil, UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, expressed deep concern, saying, “This smog is so intense that it can be seen from space.”

He warned of the harmful impact on young children, who are forced to inhale the polluted, toxic air.

The air quality crisis has disrupted education for approximately 1.6 million children across Punjab, UNICEF reported, urging Pakistan’s government to take immediate action.

“Children’s rights to health and education must be safeguarded,” Fadil stressed, adding that the effects of prolonged smog exposure could have severe health consequences for children and pregnant women alike.

UNICEF is calling on Pakistan to implement urgent measures to combat air pollution and protect the most vulnerable, emphasizing that immediate intervention is essential to prevent lasting harm.

READ: Green lockdown imposed in Lahore to curb smog

Earlier in the day, the Climate Action Centre (CAC) raised alarm over Pakistan’s dangerous levels of air pollution, stressing that smog, primarily caused by petrol exhaust, is wreaking havoc on public health across Pakistan.

The CAC representatives held an emergency press conference at the Karachi Press Club today highlighting that vehicle emissions contribute 60-80 percent of the pollutants responsible for Pakistan’s worsening air quality.

The experts asserted that the harmful particles from petrol exhaust stick to city buildings and roads, creating toxic soot that penetrates residents’ lungs, raising risks of cancer, respiratory diseases, and heart conditions.