ISLAMABAD: Presenting the vision for the next four years, Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Tuesday said the government’s five-point agenda to preserve the environment was aligned with the World Bank’s (WB) recommendations.

“World bodies have appreciated and owned Pakistan’s vision to fight climate change by planting 10 billion trees, banning plastic bags, introducing electric vehicle policy and plans to recharge aquifers. They want to partner with Pakistan,” Malik Amin Aslam said at a press conference.

The minister said the government’s new plan to plant 50 million olive trees is part of the Rs125 billion 10 billion tree tsunami initiative.

“The government plans to make Islamabad Clean and Green like it was in the 1960s. We have proposed to control the urban sprawl starting with stopping housing societies to protect agriculture land.

This will be replicated in other cities. We fear that 50pc Pakistan could be in urban areas by 2030,” Mr Aslam said.

He told the briefing that environmental challenges were a major drain on the economy. In 2006, environmental costs to gross domestic product (GDP) were 6pc which increased to 9pc in 2016.

“Estimated costs of environmental degradation from air, water and toxic waste contamination have been phenomenal. Pakistan faces another challenge of cross border pollution from India. India is unwilling to talk at the moment. Pakistan will raise the issue of cross border air and water pollution from India at the global level. Smog in Punjab is caused mostly when India burns its crops,” the adviser said.

Mr Aslam said his ministry was also working on conserving for use 30 million to 40 million cubic feet water that goes to waste every year.

According to the minister, the ban on plastic bag was 70 to 80pc effective.

“The ministry has now starting fining producers and sellers of plastic bags despite the ban,” the adviser said, explaining that 55 billion bags were being consumed in Pakistan that choked drains and were a major contributor to environmental degradation.

He added that the prime minister had already approved the ministry’s proposal on the electric vehicle policy.

Responding to a question, Malik Amin Aslam told Dawn that his office had plans to rehabilitate Islamabad zoo.

“The zoo has a lot of problems. The prime minister has directed that the zoo should be transferred to the ministry for its better functioning,” the adviser said.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2019