LAHORE, June 3: The Punjab Environment Protection Department will observe the World Environment Day tomorrow (Thursday) with no surefire remedy to fight environmental degradation.

However, it complains of lack of authority to enforce laws that could control the growing hazards. The department has planned to conduct public seminars to highlight the issue.

The EPD and the city district government’s environment department are ‘ill-equipped’ to tackle the situation. The EPD has offices in only 14 out of the 34 districts. The district environment department has four inspectors in the provincial metropolis to check pollution and enact the environmental laws.

The EPD is the smallest among the government departments with around 100 employees at its head-office and 116 in the field offices working under the district governments.

Besides, the Environment Protection Ordinance 1983 and the Pakistan Environment Act 1997, which provide a legal cover to measures taken for the protection of the environment across the country, are hardly being implemented. Over 120 environmental laws remain unimplemented because of low priority assigned to it.

According to a survey conducted by the district environment department, about 70 per cent vehicles plying on the provincial metropolis roads are generating excessive amount of noise and smoke (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide). Noise pollution is higher than the permissible limit of 85 per cent decibel in most of the big cities.

Similarly, about 98 per cent rickshaws and 78 per cent wagons and buses plying on the city roads emit poisonous smoke and noise. The EPD has no scientific instrument to measure the exact level of pollution.

A senior EPD official told this reporter that the air and noise pollution had increased in the province over the years. “There has been no recent study conducted by any government agency or NGO in the province to measure the exact level of air pollution,” he said. He added that lack of coordination between the federal and provincial environment departments was also causing environmental degradation.

The official said the Punjab government had constituted a seven-member committee represented by the officials of transport, health, local government, industries, EPD, forest and agriculture departments to control pollution and enact the environmental laws, but it also had failed to deliver.

He also pointed out some fundamental flaws in the environmental legislation. After promulgation of the Environment Protection Ordinance in 1983, he said, not a single case was brought to court under this law. “This shows its ineffectiveness.” Similar was the case with the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997, he added.

“If the powers regarding fee charges and dealing with the offences of the corporate sector and the government agencies are not delegated to the provincial EPAs, the implementation of such laws is impossible,” he said. He regretted that there were no procedural rules to implement the acts like handling of hazardous waste, sustainable development fund utilization, regulation of motor vehicles and administrative penalty rules.

Neither the industrial and municipal effluents were being treated nor had any proper system for their collection or disposal been evolved by the private sector or the government. Indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides was also causing immense damage to the land and water resources, the official said.

According to a recent survey of sub-soil water in 14 districts by the EPD, almost all the samples were found contaminated with bacteria, fluoride, brackish, foul smell, colour and arsenic.

The EPD has introduced a Self Monitoring and Reporting Tools Programme in all the factories in the province to assess pollution emanating from these factories. A few industries have submitted their assessment reports so far.

Pakistan is reportedly losing foreign markets due to pesticide residues in agricultural products. Large textile consignments had been returned from Moscow for this reason in the past.

Improper disposal of hospital wastes is also spreading diseases. Around 87 per cent people in the country die by contracting infectious diseases and only 1.7 per cent of heart disease. Ear, nose and throat disease are on the increase in the city due to deterioration of air quality. The government has planned to establish collective effluent treatment plants for industries on the Multan Road and Kot Lakhpat.

EPD Additional Secretary Babar Hassan Bharwana said political will was necessary to control pollution in the province. The EPD’s empowerment was also necessary to implement the laws. He proposed that all the industries should undergo an environment impact assessment and be dealt with according to its result.

Mr Bharwana said there was also need to create awareness in society about environment and sensitize people to avoid junk food.— Zulqernain Tahir