Amnesty International calls for urgent action against Lahore smog

Amnesty International has called for urgent action to be taken against smog in Lahore.

Rimmel Mohydin, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International, said, “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.

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”.

“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.

Lahore smog has become a severe problem; the poor air quality poses a risk to the health of every person in Lahore where more than 10 million people live.

The provincial government has called to shut down schools for the third time in the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala over the poor quality of air, on Friday.

The air quality in various locations of Punjab has been classified as ‘hazardous’ by air quality monitors installed by the United States Consulate in Lahore and the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative.