Sri Lanka has been facing air quality reduction-related issues on and off for several decades, with authorities often limited to issuing warnings and weather updates regarding them.
Yesterday (27), the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) warned that the Air Quality Index (AQI) has dropped to slightly unhealthy levels in and around Colombo, Jaffna, Galle, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura due to the trans-boundary drifting of polluted air in the Northern region. The NBRO has advised the general public to seek medical advice if this condition causes breathing difficulties for sensitive individuals. Air pollution remains one of the leading environmental and public health challenges worldwide, causing significant adverse effects on human health and the environment. Globally, air pollution is responsible for approximately seven million premature deaths annually, as estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to the WHO, exposure to high levels of air pollution can lead to several negative health outcomes, including an increased risk of heart disease, strokes, acute respiratory infections and lung cancer. Every year, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths globally. Both short- and long-term exposure is associated with adverse health impacts. Children, the elderly, and people with long-standing health conditions are more susceptible. Improving air quality can help mitigate climate change as well as protect health outcomes, especially for people living in low and middle-income countries suffering the highest exposures.
In Sri Lanka air pollution is an increasing problem due to rapid expansion in the industrial and commercial sectors and expanding living standards of the population following the country's economic growth.
The ‘Clean Air 2025’ Action Plan of the Ministry of Mahaweli Development initiated in 2016 said: “Expansion of major urban centres, rapid increase in the usage of motor vehicles and economic activities resulting in more and more usage of fossil fuel has aggravated this issue. In Colombo city alone the transport sector itself is contributing around 55-60% to the air pollution. The thermal power plants and other industrial activities established within the Colombo Metropolitan Area (CMA) have a direct linkage to this issue. The situation of Kandy city, located in a valley, has a significant air pollution issue which needs special attention. Other cities such as Kurunegala, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Galle also has to be looked at carefully due to increasing vehicle population and industrial development activities taking place in the country.”
Fast forward to today in 2025, little seems to have changed. Further complicating the issue, GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions in Sri Lanka are increasing, and during a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal in December 2022, the air quality in Colombo reached the dangerous level of 169 on the air quality index, compelling the Government to close schools in smog-choked towns. The air pollution in Jaffna, in the Northern Province, was the nation’s highest, at 294, well above the maximum safe value of 150.
However, Sri Lanka has gaps in its regulatory system, when it comes to addressing air pollution. According to a joint study conducted by the Asia Foundation and the State-owned Industrial Services Bureau (ISB), noted legal bottlenecks and the need to change public perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes.
“As air pollution increases in Sri Lanka, the government, industry, and individuals need to respond. The ISB study proposes several possible solutions to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions in the transport and industrial sectors and at the household level. Gaps in the implementation of existing emissions policies must be closed. Better policy implementation in the transport sector and at the household level could significantly reduce air pollution – for example, by limiting the use of inappropriate materials for cooking. Public-private partnerships have great potential to develop collaborative solutions,” the joint study found.
As such, the Government should take this growing risk seriously and act to update gaps in legislation, and build awareness amongst the public and engage industry in a dialogue to reduce harmful practices. Sri Lanka should also explore international legal options to address repetitive cross-border pollution, which need to be addressed.