Minister for Environment, Hamidullah Jan Afridi spelled out measures to control environment degradation and avert heavy losses caused to national kitty by this phenomenon.
"Environment losses cost our economy Rs 365 billion annually. We cannot afford such huge loss in prevailing economic conditions. We need to address environmental issues and divert these losses toward development," he said in an interview with APP on Friday.
"It is high time to act and we shall be forging ahead with an agenda of cleaner environment," the minister said, elaborating numerous measures during days ahead, with the involvement of all stakeholders and in line with the government's agenda to provide better living environment to people.
He mentioned areas like air pollution, waste disposal, emission of harmful gases resulting in global warming, stagnant forest covered area and said, "we need holistic approach. We need to aware masses and involve all strata to get desired results."
Afridi said the subject of environment always took the back seat due to least attention paid to this sector and the situation continued worsening. "But, the present government has environment as one of the key component of its manifesto. Environment is one of the five 'Es' agenda of the key coalition partner in the government," he said.
He also mentioned to poor solid waste disposal system and said, "we shall have to build capacity of local level institutions by providing resources and teaching them modern techniques of waste disposal."
"Rural areas should also be our main focus along with the urban areas. Waste dumping in surroundings of villages has contaminated the ground water, resulting in spread of different diseases," he said. "It is here, where we need more awareness and start projects in water and sanitation area, to better the situation," he said.
Afridi said, "we need to aware our people and making international community that we are committed to environmental issues and meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," he said. He said the government has also decided to observe 2009 as National Year of Environment and calendar of activities is being finalised in consultation with the partners and stakeholders.
"Our basic priority is to get everybody on board. Activities for Environment Year would be finalised by the end of November and kick off with the start of new year," he said. These activities, he said, include issuance of commemorative stamps, corporate summit on climate change, international conference on climate change, ensuring resource governance at local level, exhibition on environment, awareness raising, wetlands policy development consultation, clean air program, launch of report on water conflicts, launch of Green Cities program, river and villages cleaning up program, launch of Carbon Foot Print Calculator, environmental auditing as well as celebration of environment related international days besides other activities.
When asked about air pollution, the minister said, air pollution alone cost a loss of billions to national kitty and the Environment Ministry has started number of projects to curtail air pollution. He mentioned to Clean Air Policy, tune-up centres and air and water pollution monitoring system.
Particularly mentioning to air pollution in federal capital, he said, the ministry along with CDA and the ICCI is working out a plan to shift the polluting industries away from residential areas.
"Shifting plan is at preparatory stage as all stakeholders agree on it. A working group constituted for the purpose, will be finalising time frame and new site," he said. In this process, he said, the government would ensure that the private sector steel industry is not affected and the environment is also protected. "We shall equally take care for the business as well as environment," he said, citing that out of 2.4 million steel demand of the country, 1.4 million comes from the private sector.
Answering a question about climate change challenge, he said, countries like Pakistan have a meager share in pollution causing global warming, but "we cannot keep ourselves aloof of the global phenomenon. We have to be part of international efforts."
"We need to make the developed nations realise that their emissions were posing serious threat to developing nation, who not only lack expertise but also resources to cope with the global warming phenomenon," he said.
He said, the government has planned to run 8,000 CNG buses in nine mega cities. It is also ensuring cleaner fuel as well as better tune up system for vehicles. Referring to Islamabad Green City project, he said, cleaner environment would be ensured for the city in collaboration with the CDA, industrialists and the residents. "This program would be extended to other cities as well."
"Provinces receive more than six billion for environment every year and the government would ask them to initiate Green Cities project as well," the minister said. He said the ongoing forestry projects would be reinvigorated and new projects would be started to increase the forest cover area. "If India and other countries can have 15 percent to 22 percent forest covered area of the total land, why cannot we," he said, underlining efforts to ensure sustainability of the projects in forestry and other environmental areas.
The minister was confident to get desired results though he invoked media's co-operation to play its vital role in awareness raising and become part of Environment Year activities. "We shall also re-start Green Journalist Award to encourage media and recognise their services," he added.