Islamabad: Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul stated on Wednesday that the government would introduce a ‘National Electric Vehicle Policy’ to counter air pollution in Pakistan, according to a news report. She expressed her views on the matter during a session of the Senate held in Islamabad.
Gul added that the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) had issued various National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) in order to control air pollution in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). According to these NEQS, all industries in the ICT will be obligated to install water treatment and pollution control systems.
She added that in February 2018, the Pak-EPA had conducted a survey of ambient air quality assessment in the industrial areas of Islamabad. This detailed survey helped the authority identify and categorise a number of industries.
Gul revealed that resultantly, all six operational steel furnaces in the ICT had installed pollution control technology, with Pak-EPA monitoring them regularly. In addition, Pak-EPA was also directing brick kilns to adopt zigzag technology immediately. Apart from this, she announced a number of environmental measures to curb the menace of pollution and climate change. This Electric Vehicle Policy is another important milestone in curbing air pollution.
