PESHAWAR, Jan 2: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has approved Rs8.5 million grant for setting up three mobile vehicle emission testing stations in the NWFP, according to official sources.

The amount has been sanctioned under the National Environmental Action Plan according to which the UN agency would facilitate the establishment of the stations under the NWFP Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

EPA Acting Director-General Dr Mohammad Bashir told Dawn here on Thursday the agency had identified Abbottabad, Mingora and Dera Ismail Khan where the testing centres would be established to control the ever-increasing vehicle emissions, a prime source of air pollution in urban areas.

These stations, he said, would cover the entire Hazara, Malakand, D.I.Khan and its surrounding areas.

Under an agreement, the officials said, the UNDP would provide equipment and financial assistance, including staff salaries and maintenance cost for a period of two years, after which the stations will be run on a self-help basis.

The provincial government established the first testing station in Peshawar in 1997, which is now functioning without the UN agency’s help.  

A German organisation established the centre and later set up two mobile teams for Peshawar to check vehicular emission.

EPA official said that some 100 officials and private vehicles were being checked daily in the city. So far the station had examined over 50,000 private vehicles, 1,500 official vehicles since 1997. The centre charges Rs100 from each vehicle for emission testing.

EPA officials said that recently particulate method study was conducted in Peshawar which showed a 15 to 30 per cent cut in particulate concentration in the atmosphere of the provincial capital.  

The progress has been made owing to the provision of vehicles emission checking facilities and a large number of vehicles’ conversion to the Compressed Natural Gas.