ISLAMABAD: The NA Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has slammed weak emission controls and directed the Ministry of Climate Change to prepare a comprehensive air quality improvement plan within four weeks.
Chaired by Munaza Hassan, MNA, the committee met at the Parliament House on Wednesday and stressed that the climate policy must be a central part of Pakistan’s foreign engagements. The members urged the government to enhance funding for the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
The committee received a detailed briefing on emission standards and testing and their role in improving air quality, jointly presented by the Ministry and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration. The deputy commissioner of Islamabad, representing the Chief Commissioner’s Office, informed the committee that while the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency was responsible for air quality monitoring, it lacked both financial and technical resources to fulfill its mandate effectively. It was revealed that the CDA had financed the procurement of five new emission-testing units, while two units were currently borrowed from the Punjab EPA. Pakistan’s vehicle emission limits remain at Euro-II standards far below the modern Euro-V and Euro-VI benchmarks.
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