Speakers stress need for sustainable mass transit system

An organised public transport system would reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.

KARACHI: The world's single-largest environmental health risk is air pollution, said Dr Zafar Fatimi, the head of environmental health sciences at the Aga Khan University Hospital. 

He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Sustainable Transport (Pakstran) at the Pearl Continental hotel on Thursday. The seminar aimed to raise awareness about the significance of sustainable transport systems, the adverse impacts of carbon emissions and the issues faced by mass transit systems in the country.

Dr Fatimi said that air pollution not only had an adverse impact on human health, but also affected agriculture and climate and contributed significantly to global warming. He suggested that public transport regulation and control could contribute to containing the congestion and emission issues.

Dr Mir Shabbar Ali, chairperson of the urban and infrastructure department at the NED University, said that public transport was the safest, cheapest and most efficient mode of commuting.

"The transport sector in Pakistan is directly linked to economic, social development and environmental issues and all possible measures must be taken to improve the urban transport infrastructure," said Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, the country representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Pakistan. He appreciated the involvement of the media in maintaining a positive approach towards the issue of public transport in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2015.