KARACHI, Feb 4: Speakers at a workshop here on Monday urged the people to take the issue of environmental pollution seriously and avoid further damaging the environment.

The All-Pakistan Women’s Association (Apwa) organized the workshop on “Health and Environment.” About 40 students of Class VII to 12 of government and private schools of the city participated in it.

The participants of the workshop were informed that the smoke coming out of vehicles contained dangerous gasses, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc, which polluted the air and during rain these gases mixed with the rainwater and contaminated the soil, which in turn contaminated agricultural products. This adversely affected the health of the people.

They also urged the children to follow traffic rules while walking on footpaths or crossing over roads from zebra crossings. They said the traffic police organized seminars for schoolchildren and drivers in the police auditorium at Clifton to create awareness of traffic rules.

They urged the children that they should not allow drivers to talk on mobile phone as this diverts drivers’ attention resulting in accidents. Many accidents caused by this distraction had been reported in the recent past.

Begum Tazeen Faridi from Apwa, former additional IG police Niaz Siddiqui, Zohra Rehmat from the IUCN, Dr Talat Rizvi from Unicef, Begum Maher Kirmani, Syeda Viqarun Nisa Hashmi and others also spoke at the workshop.