Lahore: EPA targets waste management and green automobiles

[Naveed Yaseen]

* PU environmentalist says government must control excessive use of pesticides, food adulteration
* UET professor says govt should also control urbanisation, food toxicity

By Abdul Manan

LAHORE: The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) targets to improve waste management and introduce environment friendly automobiles in 2009, while renowned environmentalists have also suggested focus on controlling food toxicity, urbanisation and climatic change.

EPA spokesman Naseemul Rehman said the agency aimed to work on air pollution, solid waste management, industrial waste, environment-friendly vehicles, tree plantation, creating awareness and Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR) 2005.

Rehman said the industrial states would be provided all facilities to meet the standards of environment-friendly production. He said around 350 factories of ternaries in Sialkot would be shifted outside the city in 2009.

EPA’s targets: He said all industries would be forced to install individual or combined wastewater treatment plants, adding that they had asked the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to install combined wastewater treatment plant in groups of four factories to reduce costs. All industries would be forced to prepare their landscaping and install scrubbers on their chimneys, he added.

He said the process of replacing two-stroke rickshaws with four-stroke ones would be expedited, adding that old diesel engine buses would be replaced by Euro one and two buses.

He said the agency would compel local car manufacturers to install catalytic converters in silencers. Tractor manufacturing industries would be urged to prepare Euro one and two tractors to reduce noise pollution, he added.

He said the agency would compel Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency and Communication and Works Department to submit sewerage and tree plantation plans prior to construction of roads. He said the EPA would launch awareness campaigns through electronic and print media, adding that think tanks would be formed to curb environmental pollution. He said the agency would compel concerned agencies to expedite the process of installing water purification plants at the union council level. All town municipal officers (TMOs) would be ordered to ensure proper disposal of solid waste, he added.

He said all district hospitals would be compelled to comply with HWMR 2005, adding that most hospitals had already been supplied with incinerators. He said air pollution was being monitored through four monitoring stations. Two more monitoring stations would be set up in 2009, he added.

Punjab University environment professor: Punjab University (PU) Environment Professor Dr Nawaz Chaudhry said the Punjab government was neglecting various important aspects of improving the country’s environment.

He said the government should be concerned about the possible effects of global warming and climatic change on the agriculture sector. He said although global warning was not a big issue in the country, the government must conduct studies to examine the decreasing water resources.

He said the government needed to control the excessive use of pesticides, which polluted soil and sub-soil shallow water. He said pesticides in the country were not easily degraded, adding that the government should introduce easily biodegradable pesticides.

He said pests should be controlled through biological means instead of using pesticides.

The practice of throwing solid waste on river beds by government agencies must be eliminated in 2009 to control water pollution, he added.

He said the government must pay attention to food adulteration in 2009, adding that industries were disposing of their waste, containing heavy metals, into rivers and canals, which was adversely affecting crop production. He said industrial waste contained persistent organic pollutants, which severely spoiled the crops. He said food adulteration could result in various fatal diseases. The country could suffer from famine if this was ignored, he warned.

UET environment professor: University of Engineering and Technology Environment Professor Dr AR Saleemi said besides the factors pointed out by Dr Chaudhry, the government must also focus on areas like urbanisation, population, control of excessive use of air conditioners and food toxicity.

He said chlorofloro-carbon gas used in air conditioners damaged the ozone layer. He said urbanisation should be strongly discouraged, adding that employment should be offered to people in their own villages. He said it was impossible for most thickly populated cities to maintain a pleasant environment.

He said the increasing number of cars should be controlled and effective public transport should be introduced for all classes of people. He said there was a need to adopt green transport, economy and agriculture to save our generation from facing environmental problems in the near future.

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