KP to ban polythene bags after 3 months

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to strictly implement the ban on the use and sale of polythene bags in the province after three months.

The decision was taken during the second meeting of the Environmental Protection Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, said a handout on Sunday.

Besides, acting Chief Secretary Muhammad Abid Majeed, administrative secretaries of relevant departments, officials of the Environment Department and private members of the council attended the meeting.

The meeting deliberated on various matters to effectively address the issue of environmental polution, and took several decisions to this end.

It was decided to shift brick kilns across the province to Zigzag technology. A pledge was made to start a project to facilitate the brick kiln owners with soft loans to shift their kilns to zigzag technology.

The meeting okayed the proposed Rules of Procedures of the Environmental Protection Council.

One of the important agenda points of the meeting i.e., declaring the tourist areas of the province as environmentally sensitive areas, was discussed threadbare.

The Environment Department was directed to work out the issue with all relevant stakeholders and table final proposals to the provincial cabinet for consideration.

These tourist spots including Naran, Kaghan, Shogran, Galiyat, Kumrat and Kalam came under consideration.

The meeting deliberated on the establishment of the Climate Change Centre and Climate Change Authority in the province.

The officials were directed to consult the relevant experts and partners to come up with a feasible proposal for implementation.

It was decided to harmonize the content related to climate change in the curriculum of schools and colleges with the modern requirements.

The forum directed the Health Department to submit a report about the waste management of hospitals in the province within a month’s time.

The chief minister termed the issue of environmental pollution as a challenge and said that there was a dire need for timely and coordinated efforts to deal with this challenge effectively.

He directed all the relevant departments and entities to sit together to devise a comprehensive strategy in this regard, identifying the issues, and suggesting viable solutions to those issues.