Islamabad: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prepared a plan in its bid to curb smog levels in the capital city, a news source reported. Following the draft preparation, the agency will forward the proposal to the Ministry of Climate for approval. In a follow-up measure, the EPA will share the details of the plan with the general public.
According to an official, the suggestions pertain to:
Close monitoring of industrial plants
Closure of traditional brick kilns
Regular check on vehicular emission levels
Management of hospital waste incinerators
As compared to other cities, the EPA had not detected alarming levels of industrial emissions in Islamabad. Stating these emissions to be a major cause of smog and ambient pollution, he added that almost all steel rerolling furnaces in the city were using carbon-collection technology. The remaining two furnaces not having switched to this technology have been urged to devise a plan for controlling the resultant emissions.
The official also stated that the EPA was working on a plan in collaboration with the Islamabad Traffic Police to monitor vehicular emission levels in the city.
Meanwhile, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) has revealed that stubble burning practices in India had affected the air quality in Lahore. Provincial Minister for Finance Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht quoted details from the said report during a press briefing on Thursday.
The minister said that the Punjab government had constituted a monitoring committee to control the smog situation in the city. He added that change in air direction was also a cause of increasing smoke levels in Lahore. He opined that they could expect strong levels of smog during fog season if this situation continued.
Bakht revealed that the provincial executive had begun taking precautionary measures on this front. These measures includes temporary closure of pollution-causing factories and traditional brick kilns.
