AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change asked the federal government on Monday to abolish taxes at hybrid cars so that rising air pollution in the country could be checked.

The meeting of the committee was held here at the Parliament House with MNA Muhammad Uzair Khan in the chair.

The committee members also suggested that fines for violation of environmental laws should be increased to discourage the polluters.

Secretary Ministry of Climate Change Abu Ahmed Akif briefed the committee members about the measures taken by his ministry to improve the air quality.

He said that a project for Environment Monitoring System (EMS) was launched with cooperation of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2005 to strengthen air monitoring system and management.

After the project ended in 2010, the system became dysfunctional, he said, adding that Pak-EPA had revived the system at a cost of Rs1.8 million.

As committee members inquired about air pollution generated by the traffic vehicles, the official of Petroleum Division said that all oil refineries except two were producing Euro-II compliance petroleum products.

The committee was informed that the ministry had also imposed fine on refineries that were not fulfilling Euro-II standards.

About coal-fired power plants, Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan informed the committee that electricity generation through coal was negligible in Pakistan as compared to India where it was around 40 percent and in China it was 60 percent of total generation.

He said Pakistan was generating its 35 percent electricity through renewable sources including solar and wind.

The committee also discussed the issue regarding the implementation of Climate Change Act, 2017 and current status of Climate Change Authority.

Abu Ahmed Akif briefed the committee members that in July this year ministry had written a letter to Establishment Division for preparation of rules of business for Climate Change Authority (CCA), besides holding many meetings with Establishment Division in this regarding but rules of business are yet to be prepared.

About pollution and subsequent death of fish in Rawal Lake in Islamabad, the committee members said that Islamabad administration reported large scale fish were dead due to pouring of poisonous substance in the lake, whereas the Pak-EPA reported that fish were killed at large scale due to bacterial contamination in the lake.

A representative of the Pak-EPA informed the committee that Islamabad administration only shared the forensic report with them and did not share its report regarding water quality in the lake.

The committee members decided unanimously that all relevant institutions should sit together to find the exact reason that led to the mass killing of fish in the lake.