In Lahore, it’s that toxic, smoggy time of year again

Lahore, Pakistan – For Eman Khosa, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who lives in Pakistan’s second largest city, the start of the last two months of the year marks the onset of familiar irritants – toxic air, allergies, a sore throat and a great reluctance to step outdoors. “Every year, the beginning of winter is the same,” Eman, who is in ninth grade, told Al Jazeera. “Every year around this time, smog comes. The government takes some measures, and when the smog season ends, we go back to normal.” Her mother, Suraya Saleem Khosa, a visual artist, said that while weather conditions last year meant that the smog was not quite as bad as usual, this year, it is “far more intense”.…