‘Zigzag’ kiln technology introduced to reduce emissions

Islamabad : Ministry of Climate Change has introduced a ‘Zig-Zag’ kiln technology to enhance fuel efficiency, energy savings and reduction in emissions up to 70 per cent.

The technology has been introduced in coordination with Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs), National Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (NEECA) and Pakistan Brick Kiln Association as part of Climate Change Division initiatives to addressing issue of smog in the country.

Official sources on Wednesday said the Ministry in collaboration with NEECA is organising on-site awareness-cum-training sessions in various cities. In Punjab, more than 1000 kiln owners and people associated with brick kiln sector participated in training sessions.

Highlighting the other steps taken for addressing issue of smog, the sources said 10 billion Tree Tsunami initiative has also been inaugurated by Prime Minster on September 2, 2018. The model of billion tree tsunami implemented in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) will be replicated to plant 10 billion tree saplings across the country which will mitigate effects of air pollution.

National Environmental Quality Standards for ambient air quality have been notified while recently a request has been made to South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) to initiate activities in collaboration with EPA, Punjab. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been requested to address Short Lived Climate Pollutants and reduction of sulphur in diesel which is now Euro-II compliant (0.05 per cent) were the other measures adopted to achieve task.

The authorities also established continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in federal and provincial capital cities while under Prime Minister directives, Petroleum Division is in process of introducing Euro-VI compliant by year 2020. However, the sources said Ministry of Climate Change has requested the Division to consider import of Euro-VI compliant diesel immediately given high cost being paid by consumers suffering from SMOG issues, where vehicular emission is major sources of air pollution.

The government is working on a multi pronged strategy to holistically address issue of air pollution as it has far reaching effects on human health and surrounding environs.

Furthermore, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) is also engaged in air quality data generation. In one of its studies, SUPARCO had traced particulate matter causing Smog and found elements of coal being used across the border in power generation.

It merits mentioned here that Pakistan’s environmental problems are of concern because of economic consequences of environmental degradation. The World Bank in its "Strategic Environmental Assessment 2005" using conservative estimates finds that mean annual cost of environmental degradation is approximately 6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Urban air pollution remains one of the most significant environmental problems facing the cities. A substantial body of research demonstrates that high concentrations of suspended particulates adversely affect human health, provoking a wide range of respiratory diseases and heart ailments. The most hazardous are fine particulates of 2.5 microns in diameter (PM 2.5) or smaller.

Worldwide, fine particulates are implicated in 500,000 premature deaths and 415 million new cases of chronic bronchitis. The subject of environment and ecology was devolved to provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment. Accordingly, provincial governments have enacted their respective environmental laws, rules and environmental quality standards. The provincial EPAs are responsible to address air emission issues through effective enforcement of those rules and laws etc. Government of the Punjab has recently developed Smog Policy and constituted a Commission on Smog.