Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) Project Launched In Cooperation With The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) To Stop Air Pollution
Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) Project Launched In Cooperation With The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) To Stop Air Pollution:
The Climate Change Ministry has set up “Air Quality Stations” in the capital and in some other parts of the country. Officials said that the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) has established 7 fixed and 3 mobile Ambient Air Quality Stations (AAQS). This setup has been established under the Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) project launched in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Environmental Monitoring System(EMS) project has set up a foundation for building the capacity of monitoring laboratories of Pak-EPA and provincial EPAs to enhance regulatory compliance, environmental management and protection. These stations are equipped with the latest technology to monitor ambient air around-the-clock. One fixed station has been set up in Islamabad while Peshawar and Quetta have also got a station each. 2 stations each have been set up in Lahore and Karachi. All provinces have planned their project concept-I (PC-I) and have started work on the project at the provincial level with the required staff.
The Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has initiated an air quality survey in and around the industrial sectors of the capital in Sectors I-9, I-10 and the Kahuta Industrial Triangle since February 1 to curb the causes of the air pollution in the capital. Officials further said that the Pak-EPA has been conducting surveys and taking samples on a need-basis to analyze the quality of ambient air, particularly during winter.
As per World Bank report “Cleaning Pakistan’s Air: Policy Options to Address the Cost of Outdoor Air Pollution”, Pakistan’s air pollution in the cities is among the worst in the world. The horrific impact of air pollution is causing more than 20,000 premature deaths among adults and almost 5 million cases of illness among children each year. It mentions that the concentrations of particle pollution or particle matter (PM) in Pakistan’s urban areas are much higher than those experienced in other regional countries such as Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka.