RECORD high air pollution in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore is sending more people to hospitals and private clinics, doctors said today.

This came as authorities warned a complete lockdown could be imminent if residents fail to don face masks and follow other guidance related to smog.

Doctors say that many people in the city of 14 million are complaining of either having a cough or that they feel their eyes are burning.

“Tens of thousands of patients suffering from respiratory diseases were treated at hospitals and clinics in a week,” said Salman Kazmi, vice-president of the Pakistan Medical Association.

You can see people coughing whenever you go, but they still hardly wear face masks, he said.

A toxic smog has shrouded the city since last month.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in the Punjab province, asked people to wear face masks to avoid a complete lockdown in the city. Lahore is the provincial capital.

Authorities in the city have already banned barbecuing food without filters, as well as the use of motorised rickshaws.

The government said it was also looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution.