The Monitoring Labouratory Network (MLN) project is in the doldrums due to the delay in the release of Rs 147 million funds by the government for the year 2008-09. Talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday sources in Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) said that they had submitted the PC-I of the project to the Planning Commission in June 2008, but failed to receive any response.
"However when contacted we were told that it was under revision" .The delay in the release of funds is creating a number of problems for us. We do not have money to pay to the staff that were specially recruited for this project and we are afraid that if this situation continues, many of them would resign", sources further added.
Sources further added that for this project they would get Rs 50 million as foreign exchange component. "Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is assisting Ministry of Environment in this project and had shown concern over the delay in the disbursement of the funds and requested the Pakistan government to do it as soon as possible", sources maintained.
They said that the objective behind establishing the monitoring labouratories is to secure scientific knowledge needed to take administrative measures for improving the deteriorating water and air quality. The Ministry of Environment would set up these labouratories to collect the data on environmental conditions all over the country and make sure the elimination of the environmental pollution.
While talking to Business Recorder the sources in the Ministry of Environment said that the main thrust of the project will remain on developing technical capacity which is needed to support the environmental monitoring system followed by adequate measures to control pollution.
"After establishment of the monitoring labouratories in major cities, the ministry would be able to grasp the present state of pollution levels in different areas of Pakistan", they said. It will further ensure the effective operation of the regional Pakistan Environmental Protection Agencies (Pepa) as well as their monitoring and protection functions.
The sources said that so far there was a dearth of exact data to compare and analyse with the Environmental Quality and Emission Standards, hence the MLN would help to solve this problem. Under the long-term objectives of this project, the ministry will later set up new environmental standards and regulations for emissions to be followed.
They said the monitoring data would contribute to define the priority of provisions and observe pollution levels, be it air or water. With the availability of monitoring data, the ministry will be able to compare the country's pollution levels with the other countries, and will define the position of Pakistan in each field of air, water and discharged pollutions.
They said under the project, the latest available gadgetries would be installed in the monitoring control systems and it was hoped that environmental field officers would be more innovative to check pollution as well as sources of pollution.
The monitoring data will not only be used as teaching materials for environmental education at elementary schools up to university level, but also for creating a general perception of environmental protection among the general masses, especially violators of environment. In many countries, they added, data monitoring air was linked with traffic management, re-formulation of fuel, urban planning, setting up emission standards of moving/fixed sources and formulating ambient air quality standards etc.