Healthy living: ‘We need to do more to protect environment’

Environment Protection Council meets after a year and a half

LAHORE: The Punjab Environment Protection Council (PEPC), mandated to meet at least twice a year, met on Friday following a hiatus of a year and a half.

Several members voiced concerns about environment protection and enforcement of related legislation.

The meeting, chaired by Environment Protection Minister Zakia Shahnawaz, had two items on the agenda, dealing with the rules of procedure for the council meetings and adoption of National Environmental Quality (NEQ) standards at the provincial level. The NEQ standards are meant to help with the prosecution for violations at environmental tribunals.

Shahnawaz said that in the wake of growing population there was need to do more to save the environment. She said the council did not want to unfairly blame or pressurise anyone. “It wants to ensure that everyone is on board to find doable solutions,” she said. She said environment was an issue that should concern all departments. “That is why it is important to establish a link.”

She assured representatives of the industry that they would be taken on board with regard to adoption of the NEQs. “We should look into how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions using technology,” she said.

Commenting on the government’s campaign against polythene bags, the minister said they had talked to factory unions about phasing out polythene bags. She said the government was aware that doing so would impact the livelihood of those associated with the polythene industry.

Shahnawaz assured the members that the council would be made more active.

Environment Protection Secretary Iqbal Muhammad Chauhan said the standards, proposed by the department, were already being followed to monitor emissions from factories. “However, they need to be adopted officially,” he said, adding that it would give them a legal cover for the prosecution of violators at courts.

Lahore College for Women University Faculty of Natural Sciences Dean Kausar Jamal Cheema stressed the need for sectoral guidelines to adhere to environment standards. She called upon the authorities to observe standards set by the World Health Organisation, along with those being adopted by western countries and the countries such as India and Bangladesh. She called for forming technical committees to propose standards that might be better applicable to the Punjab.

Jamal said certification of environmental consultants was necessary to make better Environment Impact Assessment reports. “They often use cut-and-paste procedures to make the reports,” she said.

Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz said adopting the NEQs would not be beneficial to the industry. He said providing natural gas to the industry instead of other fuels would lower pollution levels.

Tauqeer Akhtar, a representative of the consumer forum, too, said that the NEQs should not be enforced immediately. Instead, he said, separate environmental quality standards should be adopted.

The PEPC was formed under the Punjab Environment Protection Act, 1997. It has 35 members from the civil society and the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2016.