Amnesty International urges ‘urgent action’ against smog in Lahore

Raises concerns about poor air quality in Lahore; warns every person in the city is at risk

Amnesty International on Friday called for ‘urgent action’ for the people of Lahore in a bid to mobilise its supporters around the world to campaign on behalf of the entire population due to the hazardous smog engulfing Pakistan’s second-largest city.



The action raised concerns about how the poor air quality poses a risk to the health of every person in Lahore where more than 10 million people live.

“The government’s inadequate response to the smog in Lahore raises significant human rights concerns. The hazardous air is putting everyone’s right to health at risk,” said Rimmel Mohydin, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International.

“The issue is so serious that we are calling on our members around the world to write to the Pakistani authorities to tell them to stop downplaying the crisis and take urgent action to protect people’s health and lives.”

If you want to know what climate change is doing to our planet, look at what the smog does to YOU. pic.twitter.com/SVDzBAhzcV

— Amnesty International (@amnesty) November 14, 2019

For one in every two days this month, the air quality here has been classified as 'hazardous' by air quality monitors installed by the United States Consulate in Lahore and the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative.

The government shut schools down on at least three days this month.

No healthy air this year

The organisation noted the air quality in Lahore deteriorated to “hazardous” levels in November this year. Air quality measuring systems advise people to avoid all outdoor activity when that happens.

Air becomes unhealthy when the AQI level reaches 100. At 300 and above, the air is considered “hazardous”.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lahore reached 598 at 12pm on 21 November. Since the beginning of the month, at least seven days have seen air quality reach hazardous levels, Amnesty noted.

Reports have shown how prolonged or heavy exposure to hazardous air can result in severe health issues including asthma, lung damage, bronchial infections, heart problems and shortened life expectancy.

The organisation noted that the “smog season” - which runs from October to February - is where poor fuel quality, uncontrolled emissions and crop burning worsens the quality of the already unhealthy air in Punjab.

📢🚨In an unprecedented step, @amnesty has issued an Urgent Action for the smog-hit people of Lahore. https://t.co/57npRhwwcM

— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) November 22, 2019

Lahore has not had a single day of healthy air this year, according to the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, a citizen-led effort that crowdsources and collates data on air quality, Amnesty noted.

On November 4, three teenage girls filed a suit at the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Punjab government for the “violation of their fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment.”



“Today, people are not aware of just how much danger they are in because of the air they breathe. If the expertise is available, if the consequences are dire, if the evidence of the damage is mounting, then the government must not waste time. A good starting point would be to acknowledge the risks of the quality of air and initiate smog protection protocol as recommended by the court-appointed Smog Commission,” said Rimmel Mohydin.