ISLAMABAD: The Environmental Protection Tribunals (EPTs) disposed of 555 cases out of 726 against polluters filed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to climate change division sources on Wednesday, the EPA in collaboration with Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP), had checked 40,000 vehicles in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to control pollution and smog.
Highlighting the smog situation, sources said cold and dry conditions due to delay in winter rainfall were causing heavy smog over Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This situation was causing breathing problems among the people and disrupting the normal flow of traffic.
Replying to a question about the negative impact on economy, the sources said even though no such data was available, the general negative effects of smog on human health could be quantified.
The sources said after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the subject of environment was devolved to provinces and now the provincial
EPAs were responsible for implementation of rules and regulations in the respective provinces.
The EPA had developed national environmental quality standards for air which were being enforced.
Accordingly, industries were bound to control air pollution and waste emission through installation of anti-pollution devices.
The EPA had taken vigorous steps to control air pollution in I-9 and I-10 industrial area, as well as cement, marble and steel re-rolling industry and urged them to install the pollution control technology.
To address vehicular air pollution, the sources said the government had taken steps to introduce a mass transit system in the country. Metro Bus Service has been introduced in Rawalpindi/
Islamabad.
There was a plan to involve academia for research on this issue in future while all diesel vehicles, imported or locally manufactured, including trucks, buses and wagons were being complied with Euro-II emission standards.
