The Pak-EPA proposes to initiate the PCAP, to
comprehensively address the air quality issue in the country. Air pollution prevention—the reduction or
elimination, through any measures, of the amount of pollutants produced or
created at the source—and air pollution control at the source, are the primary
responsibilities of the provinces.
However, federal financial assistance and leadership is essential for
the development of cooperative federal and provincial programs to prevent and
control air pollution.
The following realizations led to the proposal of the PCAP:
a Air quality in many cities of Pakistan has deteriorated to the extent that it may be severely affecting the health and well being of citizens. A large part of the nation’s population is located in its rapidly expanding metropolitan and other urban areas.
a Judging Learning
from the experience of other third world metropolitan cities, it can
be concluded that the increase in the extent and complexity of air pollution
caused by urbanization, industrial development, and the increasing rising use
of motor vehiclesvehicle use,
is likely to pose a larger threat to public health and welfare in the not so
too
distant future.
a Air pollution issues, such as emissions from indoor combustion of biomass, may be affecting the rural population.
a There is evidence that air pollution may also be affecting agricultural productivity and livestock, damaging national monuments and other property, and posing safety hazards to air and ground transportation.
a The
scale and nature of the problem is such that it is beyond the capability and
scope of any single agency and requires a concerted effort by all levels of
government—federal, provincial, and local—, and by
experts in the educational, research, and
private, organization, and
the non-governmental organizations.
The PCAP will be designed to:
a Protect and enhance the quality of the country’s air resources.
a Protect public health and welfare against any actual or potential adverse effects that may reasonably be anticipated to accrue from air pollution.
a Preserve,
protect, and enhance the air quality in urban areas and the countryside and in the
areas of natural, recreational, scenic, cultural, or
historic value, in particularly particular, the
protected areas of the country—, ie, national
parks, wildlife sanctuaries, game reserves, and national monuments.
a Ensure that economic growth will occur in a manner consistent with the preservation of existing clean air resources.
a Assure that emissions from any source in any province do not interfere with pollution prevention programs in any other province.
a Assure that Pakistan’s international obligations regarding the transboundary effects of air pollution are met.
The objectives of the PCAP outlined above are
wide-ranging. They will require the
development and implementation of programs in a geographically wide area and
across various sectors of the economy.
In diverse settings, the details of the individual programs will
inevitably vary. However, the common
approach proposed for developing the programs are is embodied
in the operating principles identified below:
a Maximize reliance on technical and human resources available within the country
a Ensure that implementation of the program results in capacity building of the implementing agencies
a Ensure that all data and information generated during the program is made available to the stakeholders in a timely manner, through easily accessible means
a Ensure public participation at every stage of the decision-making process
a Maximize involvement of local and municipal bodies in the implementation of the program
a Encourage cooperative activities by the provinces and local governments
a Encourage cooperative activities by all federal ministries and agencies having functions relating to the prevention and control of air pollution, to assure the utilization of all appropriate and available facilities and resources within the federal government
a Maximize
efforts and resources on the core issues thereby to improvinge program
efficiency.
The proposed PCAP will be based on the air quality management model discussed in Section 1. The key elements of the PCAP will be the following:
1. Air Quality Monitoring Program
A national air quality monitoring program will be developed. Ambient air quality in the urban and rural areas of the country will be monitored on a continuous basis. The sampling will include individual and complex mixtures of air pollutants and their chemical transformations in the atmosphere, and measurement of dry and wet depositions.
2. Air Quality Indicators
Indicators of environmental health will be developed on the basis of the air quality monitoring.
A national research and
development program will be established for the prevention and control of air
pollution. The program will be
developed with the cooperation of the academic
and research institutions in the public and private sector. As part of the program investigations and
studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects),
extent, prevention, and control of air pollution will be conducted.
4. Air Quality Resource Center
An information resource
center will be established at the Pak-EPA, Islamabad. The resource center will collect and store all research conducted
on air quality issues of Pakistan. The
information will be scanned and made available to researchers and interested
persons thorough the Internet.
The existing set of laws, rules, and regulations concerning and affecting the air quality issue will be reviewed, revised, amended, and enhanced to ensure implementation of the PCAP.
Economic instruments are
among the major tools required for the implementation of the PCAP. Wherever appropriate and deemed necessary, a set of
incentives (grants, subsidies, relief, concessions and prizes) and
disincentives (levies, taxes, tariffs and penalties) will be developed.
The national emissions inventory will be prepared on a regular basis. Apart from the national inventory, provincial inventories and inventories for smaller regions will be developed. Separate inventories will be prepared for large urban and industrial areas.
8. Air Dispersion Models
Air dispersion models will be developed for all major cities and other areas of concern. The dispersion of pollutants emitted from all the point, line, and area sources in the city will be modeled. This information will be used for traffic management, industrial zoning, and other abatement measures.
9. Air Quality Abatement Technology Clearing House
An air quality abatement technology clearing house will be established in collaboration with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry. This body will assemble and provide commercial and technical information on technologies available in the world to reduce emissions of pollutions.
The objectives of the PCAP and the activities proposed under the Malé Declaration for Pakistan are similar. There is some difference in the scale and the focus. The focus of the Malé Declaration is on transboundary issues. PCAP will cover all aspects of air pollution including generation and transport of air pollutants across regional and international boundaries. The activities proposed under the Malé Declaration are expected to be a step in the right direction to initiating an air quality management program. A separate air pollution program is required for the following two reasons.
First, Pakistan lags so far behind in air quality management to
the extent that a dedicated effort will be required to initiate
the air quality management program at all levels of private and public sectors. In this sense, PCAP
is conceived as the permanent platform that will coordinate all the activities
of the air quality management.
Secondly, and more importantly, many similar research and
development programs have been launched in the past in Pakistan that have
eventually fizzled out after a few years.
There could be many reasons for this but, ultimately, the main cause was
non-sustainability of project design. It
is believed that Prior to investment in the overall air quality
management program, it is will be important
to review the sustainability of the design, strategy, and
implementation scheme of the program.
Pak-EPA will be the principle implementing agency for PCAP. A senior director from the Agency will act
be appointed the dedicated secretary to the
program. The progress of PCAP will be
monitored by a subcommittee of the Pakistan Environmental Protection
Council. The subcommittee will include
representatives from relevant federal ministries, provincial governments,
stakeholders from the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.
It is estimated that a total of US $
75-100,000 will be required to develop the details of the Clean Air Program