PESHAWAR, Jan 7: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will prepare a fresh profile of NWFP to compile data about the resources of the province.

Official sources told Dawn on Monday that the provincial government had sanctioned Rs13 million for the two- year project which would begin by the end of the current month.

The sources said that the provincial EPA would compile primary and secondary data about urban, semi-urban, rural and mountainous areas. The compilation of the environmental profile, officials believed, would assist policy makers, public and private sectors to understand the quantum and magnitude of various environmental issues which posed threat to the ecosystem and biodiversity.

In 1993, the IUCN in collaboration with the line departments compiled environmental profile about various sectors of the province and the adjacent Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

But, EPA officials said, that the previous profile was not comprehensive and accurate, because it was restricted to selected areas and towns of the province.

The previous environmental profile covered population, influx of Afghan refugees, community development, waste management, communication, forests, minerals, agriculture, urban waste, air, land, water and noise pollution, livestock, wildlife, fisheries, soil erosion, Kabul River clean up, watersheds, grazing-land, community development, health, education, culture and heritage.

According to the executive summery of the previous environmental profile population pressure, poverty, poor quality of natural resources base, breakdown in social institutions and common property regimes tested with collected management, and lack of enforcement of existing legislation were the principal environmental issues of the NWFP.

The influx of Afghan refugees had further burdened the natural resources, civic and economic infrastructure of the province.

The document said that the problems for NWFP were compounded by the fact that more than 60 per cent of the land in the province was under some form of common property ownership or use.

It was also pointed out that some factors like waterlogging and salinity, lowering of ground water level, soil quality and the state of urban population were the main elements responsible for the poor natural resources base.

Environmentalists believe that improvement was seen to some extent in many sectors and people were sensitized about environmental issues and sustainable utilization of resources.

The chairman of the environmental sciences department of the University of Peshawar, Dr Mohammad Shafiq, said that certain indicators were showing improvement in some sectors.

He said that reduction of population growth rate had been registered, massive deforestation had been curtailed, plans were chalked out for solid waste management in urban centres and people were becoming aware of the environmental issues.

He said that a decade ago NWFP was host to over two million refugees and the repatriation of Afghans last year had reduced their presence, which was a positive indicator.