Sri Lanka Must Lead SAARC to Stop Toxic Smog from India & Pakistan.

The Problem:

Sri Lanka is currently suffering from dangerous levels of air pollution, much of which originates beyond our borders. Research from Sri Lanka’s National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) confirms that toxic smog from India and Pakistan reaches our skies due to wind patterns, worsening air quality and putting millions of Sri Lankans at risk .

Who is Affected? Air pollution affects all Sri Lankans, but vulnerable groups suffer the most:

 • Children & Pregnant Women: Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) stunts lung development in children, increases asthma rates, and leads to pregnancy complications, including premature births .
 • Elderly & Those with Pre-existing Conditions: Air pollution worsens heart disease, strokes, and respiratory issues like COPD. It is also linked to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s .
 • Workers & the Economy: Pollution reduces productivity, increases sick days, and raises national healthcare costs. Globally, air pollution costs $2.9 trillion annually, and Sri Lanka is not immune to these economic losses .

Where is This Pollution Coming From?

 • Industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, and large-scale agricultural burning in India and Pakistan release massive amounts of PM2.5, which spreads across South Asia, including Sri Lanka.
 • Existing agreements, such as the Malé Declaration, have failed due to weak enforcement and political tensions. There is no strong regional treaty to regulate transboundary pollution .

What We Demand: We urge the Sri Lankan government to take the lead in the next SAARC Summit and push for a binding regional treaty that includes:
✅ Cross-border air quality monitoring with real-time data sharing.
✅ Strict regulations on industrial emissions and agricultural burning.
✅ Joint emergency response measures for smog-related health crises.
✅ A regional clean air fund to support pollution control measures in high-emission areas.
✅ Scientific collaboration to develop long-term solutions.

Why Sri Lanka Must Lead This Initiative:

 • We are one of the worst-affected nations with no major contribution to the crisis—yet we suffer the consequences.
 • As a politically neutral country in South Asia, Sri Lanka is in a strong position to bring India, Pakistan, and other SAARC nations to the negotiating table.
 • Regional cooperation is the only effective solution to this crisis.

Sign this petition to urge our leaders to take decisive action now. We all have a right to clean air.

This petition is addressed to:

 • President of Sri Lanka
 • Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka
 • SAARC Secretariat

We, the undersigned, call upon the Sri Lankan government to take urgent leadership in initiating a legally binding SAARC treaty to combat transboundary air pollution in South Asia.