Use of plastic bag will be banned while efforts are already afoot for systematic and planned tree plantation to overcome the environmental pollution. However, industrialists must come forward to introduce substitute of plastic bags with environment friendly and degradable bags, said State Minster for Climate Change Madam Zartaj Gul.
She was addressing a function in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) here today. She said that climate change is a very vast, complicated but most important subject. This ministry has been devolved under 18th amendment but because of its importance, the provinces are still answerable to the federation as regards environment pollution.
She explained global warming and its possible long term impacts on overall environment and said that Pakistan has no role in global warming but it has to bear the consequences of global warming perpetrated by some developed countries and super powers. As regards, danger zone, Pakistan is ranked 7th and in this connection deaths due to earth quacks, floods and heat waves in Karachi are matter of concern. She said that fundamentally Pakistan is an agrarian country and production of different crops had declined due to global warming.
Continuing, she said that 70 percent people are deprived of clean potable water. She said that she has to work not only to introduce her ministry but also to give better results to save the coming generations. She said that no environment related survey was conducted during last 70 years and now she has to mange it to formulate future environment related policies.
She said that Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad are the dirtiest cities of Pakistan where people are falling prey to serious and complicated diseases. She also pointed out the coming smog season and said that government and industrialists must work closely to overcome this threat. She said that there are 30,000 industrial electricity connections in Pakistan but only 44 units had made arrangements to treat their waste water.
She said that PTI government is working seriously and devotedly to solve the pending backlog in addition to introducing corruption free system in the country. "There may be a delay in our delivery but no one can blame us for corruption", she added. She said the working of various government departments has also improved considerably as common man has now direct access to highest level through Prime Minister Portal.
Responding to problems identified by the President FCCI, she said that government had clamped ban on use of plastic bags in Islamabad. "I have talked to Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar and he will be ready to ban on use of plastic bags in the province," she asked the industrialists to introduce new technology to replace the plastic bags. "In this connection, my ministry is ready to provide maximum guidance and incentive," she added.
She assured that PTI government will also formulate a new policy to ban residential colonies in industrial areas in order to save the residents from industrial pollution and repeated relocation of industrial units. She welcomed the plantation of one lac saplings by FCCI but said these are not sufficient as all the corporate houses are bound to spend 3 percent of their income on local communities under their social corporate responsibility. She also welcomed the offer of tree plantation on available state land by industrialists and said that government will facilitate them. She also welcomed a proposal to set up Forest Development Authority to undertake this gigantic task.
On the occasion, Director Environment told that well planned M3 industrial city is being established on 4500 acres of land while NOC for Allama Iqbal Industrial Estate is under process. "This industrial estate will be established over 3300 acres of land", he told. He said that Faisalabad is the only city where waste water treatment plant is working for the last many years in Chakera. Regards smog, he told that sizing units using cheap waste as fuel which is the main cause of smog in Faisalabad.
However, he told that 70 percent units have already installed wet scrapper to control the environmental pollution. He further told that major export houses are situated on Khurrianwal-Jarnwal road. Out of these 24 have already installed secondary waste treatment plants while remaining have primary treatment facility.