‘Environmental watchdog working without district-level field offices in Sindh’

Karachi

 Audience of a programme held to mark World Environment Day have been informed that Sindh’s own environmental watchdog lacks field offices at district level hampering its ability to monitor and prevent instances of spreading pollution and other causes of environmental damage.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) came together the other day to mark World Environment Day being celebrated every year on 05 June. This year’s theme of global environment day focuses upon fight against illegal trade in wildlife.

Waqar Hussain Phulpoto, director (Technical) at Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), said that SEPA on one hand lacked field offices in districts while on the other hand the watchdog didn’t have  more than a dozen senior officials despite that the province had been facing dozens of environmental issues. He said that neither environmental tribunal in the province had been discharging its obligations effectively owing to which people causing damage to environment and spread of pollution were not made to face the law of the land and be fined for their unscrupulous actions.

However, he said that apart from shortcomings of the SEPA, Sindh had taken lead among other provinces in adopting its own law and framing under this  law its own set of rules and regulations for protection of environment.