Amnesty International raises concern about air quality exceeding ‘hazardous’ levels in Punjab – Pakistan

The human rights group Amnesty International said Wednesday that the "failure of the government to protect people from
exposure to dangerous air in Punjab runs the risk of violating their human rights to life and health. "

In a statement, Amnesty International said the Lahore Air Quality Index had reached 484 at 10 am today, adding that the threshold for "dangerous" levels of air quality was 300, where it is advised to people who "avoid all physical activity outdoors."

"During the & # 39; smog season & # 39 ;, from October to January, the air quality reaches levels & # 39; dangerous & # 39 ;, as recorded by multiple independent sources, including installed air quality monitors by the United States Consulate in Lahore and crowdsourcing data collected by Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, "added the rights group.

In March, Faisalabad and Lahore were ranked in the top 10 on a list of the world's most polluted cities in 2018. The list was dominated by Indian cities, which occupied 22 of the top 30, according to a Greenpeace report.

Read: Smog turns the "garden city" into a polluted center

The South Asian activist at Amnesty International, Rimmel Mohydin, said: "The high level of smog is not a new problem nor did it arise without warning. The Pakistani government needs to do much more to adequately address such a severe public health crisis. – one that endangers the health of people and even their lives. "

Mohydin said that air pollution and the climate change crisis are "closely linked."

"It increases existing inequalities and paves the way for human rights violations. If the authorities continue to stop concerted efforts to address the smog crisis, it will continue to devastate human life."

"There is something very bad when the air becomes so toxic that you can't breathe without hurting yourself. The government can no longer afford to waste time while people are drowning."