KARACHI, June 4: Provincial Secretary Environment and Forests Shamsul Haq Memon has said that all of us - the government, industrial units and the people — will have to struggle for checking the spread of environmental pollution.

He said this during a visit to an exhibition of pictures at the Arts Council of Pakistan on the occasion of World Environment Day. Topic of the exhibition was ‘Environment - Give a Chance to Earth’.

He said poverty and environment are closely related: as a poor man depends on natural resources, such as agricultural land, rivers, forests and hilly tracts/ranges, if these resources begin to decay then his life will also be affected greatly.

He stressed the need to ensure the participation of government, private sector, industry, commerce, NGOs, community and the people at large in the efforts to fight pollution.

He informed that the government had introduced a national environment action programme which had adopted a number of measures for safeguarding general health of people, controlling water and earth based pollution and improving sanitary conditions everywhere.

The Pakistan Environmental Protection Council, he said, has strictly promulgated self-monitoring system in industries, campaign is being launched against smoke-emitting vehicles and legislation is being formulated for proper disposal of hospitals wastes. For controlling ocean pollution, industries have been instructed to install treatment plants in their units so that poisonous and chemical matter may not be drained out in the ocean, he added.

Mr Memon praised the efforts of young artists who adroitly touched the delicate subject of environment in their creations and beautifully converted the problems relating to environment on the canvas.

He said the younger generation is capable to play its role in transforming the earth into a charming and peaceful place.

There are around 30 pieces of art in the exhibition in which numerous art schools have participated. Most of the pictures are the outcome of efforts of artists belonging to the Karachi School of Arts, Mashkoor School of Arts and the Ziarat School of Arts.—PPI