KARACHI, Sept 24: The situation in the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) is worse than the environment situation in the province, as an overwhelming majority of its technically qualified officials have either quit it or are on leave, which has crippled the organisation, it is learnt.

Environmentalists have urged the authorities to institute a high-level inquiry to find out what ails Sepa and why it is not working efficiently and what is compelling officials to leave their jobs.

According to sources, Sepa began crumbling sometime back and as the non-technical officials were repeatedly posted as its head since its establishment in the 1990s, its working has almost come to a halt with hardly any technically qualified person now left in Sepa.

The sources said the Sepa director-general’s post (BPS 20) is of highly technical nature and recruitment rules require that the DG should have a doctorate or master’s in environmental engineering with years-long experience in research and relevant project management, but never since its establishment a technically qualified person had been posted as its head.

The post of Sepa director (BPS 19) is also a highly technical one and recruitment rules require that the person should have a master’s degree in environmental engineering with several years of experience in relevant research and project management. The post remained vacant for a long time and has been filled with a non-technical and junior official. The incumbent, Kiran Nauman, originally a teacher in a private school, was recruited in BPS 18 in the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution a couple of years back and now she is posted as the director (technical), a post of BPS 19, though she does not have the required qualifications or experience.

The deputy director (resource management) (BPS 18), Shahid Lutfi, having relevant technical qualifications, had resigned a couple of years back, but his resignation has not yet been processed. The post awaits his full time substitute.

Deputy Director (technical) (BPS 18) Samita Nadeem, having relevant technical qualifications, had resigned a couple of years back, but her resignation has also not yet been processed. The post remains waiting for a full time official.

Deputy Director (monitoring) (BPS 18) Irfanullah Tunio has been on leave for over a year now and is working with a rehabilitation organisation in the earthquake-devastated northern areas of the country. Rather than returning, he has recently approached Sepa for an extension in his leave.

Deputy Director (environmental impact assessment) (BPS 18) Naeem Mughal had gone on medical leave a couple of weeks back, which is yet to be approved.

Assistant Director (technical) (BPS 17) Mohammad Masoom, a technically qualified person, has been on a training programme in Japan for over a year.

Assistant Director (hazardous waste) (BPS 17) Mohammad Nawaz, a technically qualified person, had resigned over a year back and shifted to Canada.

Assistant Director (in charge of Hyderabad) (BPS 17) Kishan Makwana, a technically qualified person, had resigned a few months back and left to join the Quaid-i-Awam Engineering University in Nawab Shah.

Assistant Director (agriculture) (BPS 17) Mashhood Ahmad Siddiqui is on long leave and wants an extension which has not yet been granted, hence his status remains doubtful between “on leave” and “absconding”.

Assistant Director (public awareness) (BPS 17) Mujtaba Beg, a technically qualified person, had been under suspension and recently reinstated, but remains without any charge.

Assistant Director (water) (BPS 17) Qurban Kalhoro, is a non-technical person having a degree in geography (mapping), which has no relevance to his assignment. He was sent in by the S&GAD from its Surplus Pool to Sepa. Sepa DG Abdul Malik Ghauri, himself a non-technical person, had written to the S&GAD a year back that Mr Kalhoro be taken back, but he is still in Sepa.

Assistant Director (noise) (BPS 17) Afzal Ahmad Rizvi, is a non-technical person having a degree in geography (mapping). He was sent in by the S&GAD from its Surplus Pool to Sepa for this technical post.

The DG had written to the S&GAD a year back that Mr Rizvi be taken back, but he is still posted in Sepa.

Sepa Laboratory’s Scientific Officer (BPA 17) Ashiq Langah is also a non-technical person having a degree in pharmacy, though now he is studying in a relevant field.