KARACHI, July 27: Federal Minister for Environment Barrister Shahida Jamil said here on Saturday that at least four international high-tech companies have shown interest to invest in disposal or recycling of municipal waste.

She was talking to newsmen after the third meeting of National Environmental Quality Standards Implementation Committee, jointly organised by Environmental Protection Agency of Sindh and FPCCI at Federation House here.

She said the existing municipal waste disposal system cannot cater to the growing municipal and industrial waste, so use of high-tech is needed.

At least four companies from Malaysia, Sweden and Germany have shown interest to invest in the high-tech system for disposal of waste, she said.

The minister said that disposal of hospital waste, installation of incinerators is no more a valid solution because all over the world incinerators are condemned methods because they themselves create pollution in the neighbourhood.

She said the government is working on implementation of NEQS for industries and for this purpose industries have also shown their inclination because it is also in their interest.

After 2005, when the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime would be implemented the Pakistani exporters will have to implement the NEQS.

The eco-labelling requirement after 2005 would also force industries to adopt environmental-friendly production.

She said the industries have been asked to formulate their own sectoral committees to implement the NEQS.

As a first step, the major pollutant industries have been asked to implement a mechanism for implementation of NEQS.

For this purpose, they have been asked to suggest a time-frame for implementation of these standards, she added.

Earlier, in her opening remarks in the meeting, the minister said that pollution is a major problem in the country.

Industries have to move towards cleaner products and for this purpose, industries have to make efforts.

He said pollution in the Karachi harbour is a major problem and for this purpose the Maritime Security Agency (MSA) has proposed an “Oil Spill Response Contingency Plan.”

Apart from the MSA, the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and Pakistan Coast Guard (PCG) would also be involved in this plan, she added.

Pollution in Lyari river is another serious environmental problems in Karachi, she said.

Talking about imposition of pollution charges on industries, Barrister Shahida Jamil said that the government does not want to confront with the industries at this initial stage.

“Our job is to help, assist and support the industries to adopt NEQS by themselves.

She agreed that high cost of treatment plants is a major challenge for industries to bring down the pollution level.

She said the industries should come up with suggestions to tackle this problem.

The minister said that due to pollution and cutting of trees, the country is facing desertification and droughts, which is causing shortage of irrigation water.

She said shortage of water is a major challenge for the country.

“Valleys are silent and you cannot hear the noise of water-falls in Northern Areas,” she remarked.

Barrister Shahida Jamil said President General Pervez Musharraf has made water as a major policy issue.

Responding to a question by members of the committee over land reclamation by DHA and KPT, the minister said that it is under the law that port trust can reclaim land which happens due to backward movement of sea, whereas the case of DHA is different and work has been stopped there.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Minister for Environment Hassan Ali Chanihio said population growth, poverty, illiteracy and urbanisation have contributed to economic degradation in Sindh.

He said water-logging and salinity has made millions of acres of land unusable.

Thousands of people have lost their valuable lands due to sea intrusion in Indus delta area, he added.

He underlined the need to make concerted joint efforts by the government and private sectors to save environment of the province.

Earlier, the Chairman, NEQS Implementation Committee Dr. Pervez Hassan, briefed the meeting about progress on implementation of the NEQS.

In his presentation, the Chairman of FPCCI Standing Committee on Environment Mahmood Ahmed said in the last four years, Pakistan’s industries have made an investment of about Rs 3 billion at an average rate of Rs 800 million per annum for the implementation of environmental solutions.

In the next two years, he said the committed investment by the industry for environmental solutions is about Rs 1.8 billion. It is projected that the environmental investment will gradually be raised to the range of Rs 1.3 to 1.7 billion per year after year 2002.

In a presentation, the Director General of Sindh EPA Shafique Ahmed Khoso, said that except for a few multinationals a good number of industries pollute the Arabian Sea by disposing of their industrial waste.

—APP/PPI