The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) NWFP working on project for disposal of the solid waste materials from Peshawar valley and also from districts Charsadda and Nowshera with a Malaysian firm. This was stated by Director-General EPA NWFP Dr Muhammad Bashir while addressing a function held here at Peshawar Press Club (PPC) in connection with the commemoration of the National Environment Year 2009.
Others who addressed and attended the function, were NWFP Minister for Forest, Wajid Ali Khan, Director Fisheries, Muhammad Ayaz Khan, Conservator Wildlife North, Dr Mubarak Ali Shah and Chief Conservator Forest, Nazeer Muhammad Khan.
DG EPA said that the agency had already installed incinerator in three major hospitals for the disposal of the solid wastes, saying now another project covering the whole valley including district Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera was under consideration with a firm of Malaysia. The completion of the project, he said would help disposal of all kind of wastes in the valley.
The agency, he said has now also started conducting environmental review of the mega development schemes to prevent the bad effects of projects on the environment. He said that the agency is following the 48 parameters of the National Environment Quality Standard (NEQS) in the industrial sector and tests the smoke of the industries and vehicles.
He said an Environment Tribunal had also been established under the auspices of agency to take up cases against the industries and vehicles causing environmental pollution. It will not only look into the hazard waste, but also the smoke of the vehicles and take the matter of the disposal of hospital wastes with the department of health.
Dr Muhammad Bashir said that the agency has also installed equipment for mapping the environmental pollution round the clock and some equipment in this connection had been installed at different busy squares. Presently, he said the test had proved PM 10 ratio of the pollution, which crosses the limitation, set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This equipment had been installed at 26 different junction of the city. Similarly, he said that the ratio of the carbon mono-oxide from the smoke emitting vehicles had also crossed the parameters of the standard of WHO. He said that Vehicle Evaluation Test Laboratory had been established for keeping check on the smoke emitting vehicles and used to test 3000 to 4000 vehicles on daily basis.
The provincial government, he said, this year had planned the extension of the VETs to other cities included Abbottabad, Mardan and D.I. Khan. The agency, he said also control the dust of the cement industries and cement manufacturing units. Majority of the factories has installed the equipment to control dust pollution. The case of only one unit of Kohat Cement was in the court. Similarly, he said that raids being conducted to check the burning of rubber in the brick kiln in the field and use of pressure horns.
He said that the Environment Tribune during last year had awarded the decision on 205 cases while matter of the remaining cases was in progress. The agency, he said had imparted training to at least 500 government employees and representatives of non-governmental organisation (NGO). He said for the commemoration of the National Environment Year the government has prepared programme for the whole year.
In this connection, the agency has chalked out a long series of awareness campaign in both print and electronic media and holding of at least one workshop or seminar every month. Speaking on the occasion, the Provincial Minister for Forest, Wajid Ali Khan said that government was bent upon introducing reforms in the department of environment. Regarding manipulation and corruption in the implementation of the environment related laws he urged on the media to pinpoint such elements for taking action against them.