ISLAMABAD – Eminent experts on environment said on Thursday that the devolution of Environment Ministry and abolition of “Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997” would badly affect environment of the country.
Speaking at a seminar, they raised questions about the fate of Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC) headed by the prime minister after the abolition of environmental protection act. They said the devolution of ministry of environment would be a disaster for the future generations because provinces did not have the capacity to deal with this vital issue.
Climate Change Study Centre head Shakeel Ahmed Ramay, while presenting the cost of damages to environmental and natural resources, said that according to a World Bank Report, Pakistan faced a cost of Rs one billion per day. He added that enough resources were not provided for the protection of the environment and if the Environment Ministry was devolved, more problems were likely to evolve.
He said there was a need for an institution at federal level to make national environmental laws and added that institutions would be needed for conflict resolution between provinces. An expert and advisor on environment Arshad H Abassi said the World Bank report declared that the environment protection agencies in provinces were only ceremonial.
Pak-EPA should not be devolve as many county have their own EPAs at Federal level to protect Environment.
The Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar should be devolve.
Environment Ministry should not be devolved
it should happen because no one in ministry is able to have their seats,rather to devolve change the staff ………………….you get better results……………. guaranteed
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