Pakistan has developed comprehensive and good policies for addressing the environmental issues but implementation of these policies is a challenge, said Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi, Federal Minister for Environment. He said this while chairing a high-level meeting with Engin Soysal, Ambassador of Turkey here on Tuesday.
The government is making all out efforts to tackle environmental problems, particularly vehicular emissions, toxic waste disposal, industrial emissions and air pollution. The minister said that we have developed eight projects for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and other 13 are in pipeline. He said that Pakistan would seek Turkey's cooperation and suggest joint working groups of the ministries of environment of both the countries.
He said that the ministry has developed Rs 1.4 billion forest development project for Fata and would welcome the technical assistance of Turkey for implementation of the project. The minister said that due to rapid industrialisation and increase in the number of vehicles the threat to environment has raised manifold.
He said that the ministry of environment has prepared National Environment Policy, National Sanitation Policy, National Conservation Policy and draft of National Drinking Water Policy to offset the cost of environmental degradation. Pakistan greatly values its relation with brotherly Islamic country Turkey and would seek its cooperation for addressing the environmental issues in Pakistan.
The minister appreciated Turkish support during severe earthquake of Pakistan in 2005. He informed that Pakistan and Turkey had also signed an environmental cooperation agreement in 2003 which recognises the significance and need for closer cooperation for protection and improvement of the environment, health and conservation of natural resources.
The Turkish Ambassador said that there are many areas in the environment where both the countries can cooperate. He said that there is a need to develop a sense of ownership in the general public and civil society in an effort to tackle the environmental problems confronting the world today. He said that his country would extend all possible cooperation to Pakistan in the area of environment.
It is worth mentioning here that the ministry of environment had planned a number of projects to tackle environmental issues in the country, but lack of funds and experts to implement these projects were the main hurdles in their completion. At present the country is facing numerous problems regarding environment - problems that are negatively impacting on health and its costs to the national exchequer.