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Friday March 29, 2024

Environmental audit of housing schemes to be introduced

By Our Correspondent
February 22, 2022

Islamabad:The climate change ministry would further the efforts to ensure environmental audit of housing schemes with an aim to protect natural environment in the face of increasing construction activities.

According to the details, the federal government introduced National Environment Policy that was fully endorsed by the provincial governments. “Now the federal government is going to make concerted efforts with the help of the provincial governments to ensure environmental audit of every housing society to determine whether or not it is causing damage to the natural environment,” details said.

An official said every provincial government has its own environment wing that keeps vigil over the construction activities but there is no proper mechanism to carry out environmental audit of the housing schemes.

“The provincial environment wings hold hearings in which they listen to the concerns of the stakeholders but we want them to move further and monitor the construction activities that must be in line with the environmental laws,” he said.

He said, “The provincial governments should issue an order for environmental audit of all the housing societies and strict action should be taken against those violating the rules.” The official said the principal beneficiaries of housing growth are usually property developers whilst the principal loser is the natural environment.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said “We believe that housing policy should be set within the overarching context of environmental limits. All new housing should be built to standards that minimise environmental impacts.”

He said that there should be a green development that can provide a powerful opportunity to move away from the piecemeal development of the past and deliver new homes within well-planned sustainable communities.