ISLAMABAD: Ill-planning by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and an increased number of vehicles is leading to the congestion of road space in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, along with posing a threat to the environment, a report by Pakistan Today revealed.
“The authorities are not making the public transport system efficient and are busy making tall and empty claims,” an official at the environment ministry asking not to be named told Pakistan Today.
He criticized the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) for not taking proper steps to decrease the pollution caused by the vehicles and for promoting automobile vehicles.
The country’s environmental ministers do not have a plan to control the environment, he said, adding that in all these years they still had not convinced the fuel companies to sell refined fuel. The standard of engine, driving habits and traffic control system also contribute to pollution, he said.
A research officer at PEPA, asking not to be named, revealed that the agency had a ‘Vehicular Emission Testing System’ to control pollution but it was not being implemented, adding that the system could do wonders if used and that PEPA was not playing its required role in controlling pollution.
“Carbon Monoxide emitted in petrol driven vehicles causes heart ailments, drowsiness, hearing problems, eye and skin allergies and asthma,” Dr Waseem Khwaja of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said, adding that Carbon Dioxide emitted from all vehicles is a greenhouse gas and contributes to climate change.
