Senate body stresses stricter implementation of environmental laws
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Expressing its deep concern over the increasing levels of environmental pollution particularly vehicular emissions in major cities, the Senate Standing Committee on Environment (Housing & Works and Environment), which met at the Parliament House Thursday under the Chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Ali Brohi, called for urgent steps for a cleaner and healthier environment to ensure a better future for our coming generations. It urged stricter implementation of the existing environmental laws and enactment of fresh ones where needed to keep the environment clean.
The Committee took special notice of growing industrial and vehicular pollution, which is not only threatening the environment but also badly affecting rivers and streams. “Industrial concerns are directly discharging their pollutants and effluents into our rivers including the Indus, which is like a lifeline and runs through nearly whole of the country before finally joining the Arabian Sea. “We need to embark upon measures to ensure that our water resources and reservoirs remain fresh and clean otherwise our very survival would be at stake”, observed the Committee.
The Committee also recommended that the CNG busses and metro projects for big cities especially Karachi be pursued on fast track basis. It underlined the need to launch crash programme for setting up industrial treatment plants in collaboration with city district governments and recommended matching grants for this purposes. The Committee was informed that a pilot project on public - private partnership would be launched for improving public transport system in Karachi in June this year which would focus on plying CNG busses in the Provincial metropolis.
The Committee directed the Ministry of Environment to prepare a plan of action for preserving the mangrove forests which acts as fish hatcheries and breeding places of rare marine animals. Our failure to do this would badly affect Pakistan’s exports of fish, shrimp etc, apprehended the Committee members.
The Committee also recommended integration and streamlining of procedure for issuance of fitness certificates to vehicles specially buses and trucks, which have a major role in causing higher levels of harmful emissions. It stressed that the procedure must be foolproof and transparent which should be documented properly.
Earlier the Secretary, Ministry of Environment informed that the Ministry has worked out an improved system for motor vehicle fitness and emission testing that would involve motor vehicle examination. The privately owned vehicles will also be checked under this system. A pilot project for Islamabad has been approved by the CDWP. After its success, these checking centers will be replicated in other cities through public private partnership. An ADP scheme “Vehicular Emission Control Programme” at a cost of Rs. 35.450 million is being implemented by environmental protection agency, Sindh for which staff has been appointed and equipments are under procurement.
Besides the Chairman, the meeting was attended by Senators Shuja-ul-Mulk, Bibi Yasmeen Shah, Dr. Abdul Khaliq Pirzada, Sardar Mohammad Jamal Khan Leghari, Maulana Rahat Hussain, Syed Muhammad Hussain and Farooq Hamid Naek.