Director General (DG) of the Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Farzana Altaf Shah on Sunday urged the citizens to take the lead and responsibility to overcome environment pollution in the country which was polluting its rivers, oceans, natural ecosystems and damaging human and wildlife health through disastrous impacts.
Talking to PTV news channel, she said that if we not controlled on pollution then the climate change will not just a subject, it could become a major cause of impact on all kinds of flora, fauna and human beings in our country.
She highlighted various efforts by her organization to confront the environmental challenges. She guided citizens about the prevention the cutting of trees and should be a ban on converting agricultural lands into settlements.
It is pertinent to mention that The air quality of the federal capital remained healthy for the some days back as the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency’s (Pak-EPA) daily air quality report indicated a reduced ratio of air pollutants recorded below permissible limits.
The agency is responsible for ensuring the protection of the environment under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997.
The hazardous air pollutant particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), which is a hazardous atmospheric contaminant, remained 28 micrograms per cubic metre on average, which was lower than the national environmental quality standards (NEQS) of 35 micrograms per cubic metre and denoted the air quality as healthy.
PM 2.5 is generated through the combustion of engines, industrial emissions, burning garbage or inflammable material, and dust blown up by fast-moving cars plying on non-cemented patches of the roads.
The ratio of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide (NO2 and SO2, respectively) also remained below the NEQS that were mostly produced during industrial emissions from factories involving extraordinary use of chemical in production processes. The NO2 remained at 11.64 micrograms per cubic metre, and the SO2 was at 12.14 micrograms per cubic metre.
The EPA officials claimed that vehicular emissions due to increased automobiles were one of the leading causes of bad air quality. Industrial emissions had already subsided due to carbon-absorbing advanced technology installed at various steel manufacturing units.
