A university student and two children approached the high court for action against smog.
LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News- Nov 5th, 2019) The Lahore High Court has sought reply from the Punjab government on a petition seeking directives for the provincial government to take action against the air-pollution and smog in the city.
A University's student and two children had moved the petitions before the Lahore High Court and submitted that air quality was deteriorating in Punjab and across the north Indian Sub-continent. Advocate Rafay Alam appeared on behalf of the petitiners and argued that pollution took over the country and there was a pollution everywhere. He said Pakistan could declare the environment "fit" where as the United States Environmental Protection Agency said that it was very hazadous.
"Smog is killing children due to smog and poor air quality," said Alam, arguing that Air Quality Index (AQI) should be on 50 (Good) whereas it is on 144 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Lahore’s air quality was 182(Unhealthy) but, Punjab’s Environmental Protection Agency has deemed it satisfactory," said the lawyer.
The counsel said that Smog policy and action plan uncovered severity of ambient air pollution and expoed the general public to unaccetable and unsafe levels of air pollution and is therefore violation of the Fundamental Right to a clean and healthy environment.
The counsel asked the court to pass any other such order as may be just and equitable given the facts and circumstances of the matter.
In a statement issued in October, Amnesty International said the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lahore had reached 484. “The threshold for ‘hazardous’ level of air quality is 300 where people are advised to ‘avoid all physical activity outdoors.” The levels of air quality in Punjab have fluctuated between near unhealthy and very unhealthy most of the year. “During the smog season – from October to January – air quality reaches hazardous levels," it added.
