Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pepa) has advised the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for imposing penalty on the contractors of certain mega projects being executed in the federal capital for ignoring the environmental laws.
Sources in Pepa told Business Recorder that almost all the projects in the city are being undertaken ignoring the environmental degradation adding that the agency proposed the CDA to penalise the contractors for not removing the shortcomings.
Some of the mega projects, which the official identified, include the project of National Monument, Model Village Saidpur, Rawal Dam, Capital Park and restaurant at Pir Sohawa.
The official said that the agency has asked the CDA to present reports on all the ongoing and completed projects, but it has yet to receive any such report from the authority.
According to the official, it is essential to conduct the environmental assessment study prior to launch of any project, but the CDA has never met the condition. Contrary to this, the CDA contends that it has its own Master Plan and all the development work are being undertaken keeping in view requirements of the plan. The Master Plan, he said, was an outdated document to be followed anymore.
However, the official said that CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari has promised to consult the Pepa prior to launching any project in future and the authority has recently appointed a consultant for this purpose. All projects have environmental problems in one way or the other, but these have to be removed before executing a certain project, he maintained.
It is also learnt that the CDA has planned to formulate the Islamabad Environmental Regulations (IER) 2007 to control increasing water, noise and air pollution.
The laws are being formulated jointly by the CDA and the Pepa to improve Islamabad's ecology. "In the past, the CDA had to take action against polluting industries under the legal cover of Pepa, but once Islamabad Environmental Regulations 2007 are implemented, the CDA would be able to take action on its own," he said.
Violators of the law will now be fined at least Rs 5,000. Earlier, the people causing pollution were fined up to Rs 500. The ongoing chopping of trees in the name of development is causing pollution, as trees are a shield against air contamination and global warming.
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