Drive to tackle challenges of pollution, global warming

Islamabad : Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday kicked off a countrywide ’Clean and Green Pakistan’ drive to tackle the challenges of swelling pollution and global warming with a resolve to inherit a cleaner Pakistan, even more than Europe.

The prime minister launched the action day of the ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ here at Islamabad College for Girls by planting a sapling and sweeping the lawn of the college. Holding the broom, the white-clad prime minister also picked the garbage and disposed it off before washing hands to teach the youngsters the proper cleanliness methods.

On the first day of the nationwide movement, ceremonies were held across the country to clean the localities and plant trees to be joined by the common people as well as the government authorities.

The prime minister was accompanied by his Adviser on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, Special Assistants Iftikhar Durrani and Naeem-ul-Haq and Senator Faisal Javed besides representatives of the international organisations.

While launching the cleanliness drive, the prime minister also interacted with the students on the climate change and pollution, who also joined him in cleanliness and tree plantation. Later, while addressing the ceremony, the prime minister congratulated the students and teachers of the college for holding a successful launching ceremony of the five-year long drive for a cleaner and greener Pakistan.

The prime minister resolved that his government would inherit a Pakistan which would be cleaner even than Europe. He expressed concerns over the polluted river in the country and swelling pollution to an alarming level in Lahore particularly in winter.

He said according to a study, excessive pollution shortens the life expectancy by average 11 years. "The swelling pollution will mar the future of our upcoming generations," he added.

He said besides cleanliness, enhancement of the green cover was equally essential as Pakistan was seventh most affected country by the global warming.

He said after successful completion of billion tree tsunami in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government had launched a five-year 10 billion tree tsunami across the country. He said the glaciers would be depleting fast if the world failed to tackle the challenge of global warming and the world become unliveable for the future generation.

He hoped that after plantation of 10 billion trees, the weather pattern of the country would be changed altogether.

The prime minister said the cleanliness drive would not remain confined to posh areas but it would also cover the slums and reiterated his government’s plan to regularize and provide housing to the slum dwellers. The drive also comprises the construction of landfill sites in all areas to ensure proper disposal of the garbage. The prime minister also interacted with the representatives of international organisation and shared with them the government’s future plans to cope with climate change and global warming.

Later, talking to this agency after launching Clean and Green drive at Saidpur Village, Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the government would change the public mindset and behaviour to make this initiative a success. He said the drive would be funded by both the government as well as the donors. Regarding waste disposal, the Advisor said the government was mulling over various models in this regard and finalize anyone soon.

He said the waste-to-energy projects were also under considerations and the government would execute the same through public-private partnership as discussion was already going on with German ambassador on the subject.