‘Pakistan working on POPs-free environment for future generations’

Islamabad :National Workshop on Inventory of Initial and New Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is organized by International Cooperation Wing, Ministry of Climate Change with cooperation of UN Environment Program here on Lahore. Objective of this workshop is to review the National Implementation Plan (NIP) to make Pakistan POPs free, says a press release.

On this occasion Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Ministry of Climate Change Rizwan Ahmad Sheikh said that POPs that Government of Pakistan is committed to eliminate POPs to save the environment. This is a great national responsibility and a big International Commitment of Pakistan. We need to pool all intellectual and technical resources to cope with this challenge Pakistan has succeeded in becoming part of a regional and global programme which endeavor to create a network of stockholders and Governments.

Dr. Zaigham Abbas, deputy director (Chemical), International Cooperation Wing, Ministry of Climate Change highlighted the efforts of Pakistan. He told that, the main objective of the project is reducing human health and environmental risks by enhancing management capacities and disposal of POPs in Pakistan through; development and implementation of a regulatory, policy and enforcement system to reduce POPs releases and to regulate POPs waste disposal; capacity building to reduce exposure to and releases of POPs; and collection, transport and disposal of 300t of PCBs and 1200t of POPS Pesticides.

Professor Dr. Sajid Rashid, principal, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Punjab suggested that there is a dire need of linkage between academia, industry and government organization. He further emphasized on up gradation of existing laboratories for analysis of POPs products and processes.  

The initial POPs have been banned under the Stockholm Convention in Pakistan. The Convention has made it obligatory for all parties to the Convention to phase out POPs in their use, import and export as soon as possible.

“Pakistan is a party to the Stockholm Convention and has submitted a National Implementation Plan (NIP) to the Stockholm Convention Secretariat in 2009, whereby Pakistan have pledged to make all possible efforts to save the nation in particular and global humanity in general from the menace of POPs” he further added.

POPs have been widely used in various industrial processes, products and pesticides. Once these POPs were considered well reputed for their stability, long life and inert chemical properties. Unfortunately, it has been recently discovered that POPs are extremely harmful for human, wildlife health and environment.