ISLAMABAD, July 21: The environment ministry will soon launch the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) to control the maritime pollution, sources said.

They said the government had prioritize the plan, but, owing to meagre allocations for the ministry in the last two budgets, the idea could not be materialized.

But now, in the recent budget, an amount has been allocated for launching the project. The environment minister is also taking personal interest in it.

The sources said that it was mandatory for Pakistan, being one of the signatories of the International Maritime Organization, to take certain steps on the pattern of the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997 (PEPA) to fight the maritime pollution, especially oil pollution spilled by sea traffic.

Although the country has a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, working under the defence ministry, to look after the use and misuse of sea-shores, the NOSCP will exclusively be focussing on maritime pollution, which according to the latest reports, is causing irreversible loss to the aquatic life.

The environment ministry has also sought the opinion of other stake holders — the Karachi Port Authority, Qasim Port Authority and the petroleum ministry — to finalize the NOSCP so that it could be made effective as soon as possible.