PESHAWAR, Dec 31: The NWFP Environmental Protection Agency will reactivate district environmental protection committees in all 24 districts of the province, officials said.

These committees would identify major environmental problems and educate officials, local government representatives and the people about various ecological issues.

Initially, these committees would start functioning in seven former divisional headquarters, including, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad and Kohat and would later be expanded to cover other districts.

An official said that district nazims would lead the committee and officials of all “line departments” at the district level and local government members would be given representation.

Main functions of these committees would be to assist the EPA in taking remedial action to solve environment-related problems, monitoring pollution control activities and assist the EPA in the implementation of National Environmental Quality Standard and Environmental Protection Act, 1997.

Sources said that these committees were set up in 11 districts of the province in 1999 and in some districts DEPCs had even started functioning.

After the introduction of devolution plan and abolition of the office of deputy commissioners at district level, these committees were also dissolved.

Districts where DEPCs were set up are Dera Ismail Khan, Lower Dir, Kohistan, Hangu, Tank, Haripur, Mardan, Chitral, Mansehra, Swabi and Bannu.

Officials said that provincial Environment Department would forward a summary to the government to re-notify DEPCs in respective districts.

Under Section 8 and Sub-Section 6 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act there is a provision for setting up sectoral advisory committee to assist the provincial EPA.