RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a campaign to plant at least 50 trees round each of the 126 brick kilns in the district of Rawalpindi.

Deputy Director Environment Department Maria Safeer said the brick kiln associations in Mandra, Losar, Taxila and Girja had been directed to plant 50 trees each in their respective clusters.

She said the EPA Rawalpindi had engaged the brick kilns to participate in the plantation drive. In addition to the supply of plants to brick kilns, a cleanliness drives has also been conducted in the areas.

Furthermore, she said, a series of focused group discussions as well as environmental walks had been arranged at major sites to engage the community and raise awareness.

“The preparations have been made beforehand by digging pits and providing plants in the key areas.”

She said EPA on the directives of its Director General Imran Hamid had pledged to carry out a massive plantation drive in the current season.

She said pollution was considered to be one of the most significant threats to human health which reportedly results in one out of nine deaths all over the globe. According to recent studies by World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution was responsible for seven million premature deaths in the entire world on an annual basis, she added.

She said the ambient air polluted with PM2.5 was a leading cause of diseases such as asthma, cancer and lung diseases. Furthermore, continuous exposure to these minute particles has a very devastating impact upon brain development and results in impaired cognitive ability and pulmonary disorders in children.

She said the major source of this pollutant was brick kilns and it was very important to take drastic measures to counter this problem at the grassroots level.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024