–EPD official admits measures adopted to control pollution have been insufficient
LAHORE: As smog engulfs the provincial capital on a daily basis, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday took notice of the alarming increase in environmental pollution and asked the Environment Protection Department (EPD) to submit report on Dec 27.
Justice Shahid Kareem presided over an application filed by Haroon Farooq, who sought the court’s orders to control environmental pollution.
Justice Kareem remarked that environmental pollution in the city has reached alarming levels in recent days.
“An international agency has declared Lahore as the most polluted city,” the court said in its interim order.
The Director General of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) admitted that the measures adopted to control pollution have been insufficient.
It is the responsibility of the agriculture department to execute the judicial order to prevent burning of crops.
The EPD DG further informed the court that factories located in the city and in the surrounding areas and towns have significantly contributed to the pollution in the region.
Subsequently, the court ordered the Environment Commission to submit its report on Dec 27 for implementation on measures to curb pollution.
The EPD, Punjab, was established to eradicate the rapidly increasing problem of environmental degradation as protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of environment was needed.
For this purpose, the EPD created Environment Protection Agency (EPA) which is also responsible for the prevention and control of pollution and promotion of sustainable development in the province.
This week Air Quality Index in Lahore reached 484, while the threshold for hazardous level of air quality was 300. The index warned that the soupy air in Lahore is hazardous to breathe, especially for young children. Another index ranked Lahore as the second most polluted city in the world.
Haziness, and nose and eye irritation is a clear indication of the beginning of the phenomenon which has been pestering Lahore and other cities of Punjab in October and November for the past few years.\
Amnesty International also blamed the Punjab government for exposing people to hazardous air risks in violation of their human rights to life and health.
Health experts warn that if the air quality continues to deteriorate, the average lifespan would be shortened and a series of health problems will arise for the residents of Pakistan’s most populous province.
