The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government allotted Rs 239 million to resolve environmental problems in the province, containing Rs 70 million for the acquisition of mobile air quality monitoring stations for Peshawar.
Presently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have any air quality monitoring station in the provincial capital. Talking to the media, officials said that the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) had accepted a PC-1 in this regard by the end of last year.
Furthermore, the KP EPA and provincial environment branch have also planned numerous processes to battle high absorption of particulate matter (PM 2.5), which as per a recent report, was an all-time high in the provincial capital.
Earlier this month, a federal EPA report on Peshawar’s air quality displayed that there was a huge concentration of PM 2.5 in Peshawar and the condition was worse near the roadsides.
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Also, provincial chief secretary Dr. Shahzad Khan Bangash allocated particular tasks to the related departments to take suitable actions to regulate air pollution in the provincial capital and address environmental problems.
“Transport department should gear up checking of ill-tuned vehicles and those who do not comply with standards should be taken off the road,” said an official document.
The document conveyed the LG sector and Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar should build unpaved sides of the roads. In addition, they should also certify cleaning of the middle median of the roads through regular sweeping of the roads and the dust should be removed immediately.
Alternatively, traffic police have been allotted a mission to safeguard that no material is conveyed without appropriate coverage with a tarpaulin sheet.
Moreover, district administration was also advised to enforce Section 144 on opening burning of solid waste, and rubber and Rexine burning in brick kilns.
“Microscopic specks of grease, when meat is sizzling, escape into the air and add to dangerous particle pollution and coal being burnt adds to carbon emissions,” the report said.
