PESHAWAR, June 20: The NWFP health department is planning to set up an environmental health unit to ensure proper disposal of hospital waste, minimizing air and water pollution besides educating people regarding the importance of safe drinking water, officials said.

The unit would be financed by World Health Organisation (WHO), they added.

They said that seminars and discussions would be held in this regard.

The Emro — WHO’s Egypt-based office — had already allocated an amount of $106 million for the project.

The NWFP is the first province in Pakistan to have had developed such a concept.

The WHO mission had showed its willingness in its meeting held with the NWFP Health Minister, Inayatullah Khan early June.

The members of the mission had also held talks with the governor, chief minister and chief secretary in this regard.

The official said that a draft proposal had been submitted to the WHO’s mission and its approval would boost the image of the NWFP government.

According to a report compiled by the World Bank, Pakistan spent $2 billion on the environment-related diseases.

The project would initially be started in the provincial metropolis and would later be extended to districts and tehsils with appropriate infrastructure.

The project, officials said, would involve several of the government-run departments, such as local government, environmental protection agency, water and sanitation and public health engineering, irrigation, food and education.