National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came under fire during the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Cow Digants Wednesday as the province is fighting with record flood.
MNA Malik Awais Jakhar paralyzed NDMA for incompetence and demanded answers on behalf of his district – Layyah.
“Committee is formed for a year and a half [but] Has some result produced? “He asked. Jakhar further criticized NDMA for not appearing for the standing committee despite several subpoenas.
This year, the heavy rain has flooded the rivers, with alerts with high floods issued by NDMA.
“Layyah City is protected by a dam. If it breaks down, my city is drowning,” Jakhar said and decrier’s lack of funds. He complained that all funds were redirected to major cities, while smaller cities in South Punjab drowned.
NDMA hasn’t even included Layyan on his worst affected list, Jakhar told the standing committee asking members to tell him who to encourage help. “People [in Layyah] is affected by the floods, they bring bodies into boats. “
About deforestation, pollution
The standing committee also took the problem of smoke -emitting vehicles and deforestation.
“Crushing machines and marble fractures in Haripur cause massive destruction,” said committee member Shaista Khan.
The Ministry of Climate Ministry’s secretary considered that Capital Development Authority (CDA) has made it mandatory for each house in Islamabad, which now includes a rainwater harvest system during the construction.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Transport Authority Secretary Kamran Cheema said efforts were made to stop smoke -emitting vehicles in an attempt to fight smog in the region.
However, the committee refused to accept this with members who emphasized EPA rules that were set up in 2008 and subsequently lack of enforcement of them.
The meeting concluded that EPA was missing sufficient equipment to regulate vehicle emissions.
Cheema then assured member legislators that more equipment has been acquired and EPA has begun to implement its rules.
The committee observed that of the 1.7 million vehicles registered in Islamabad, only emission tests of 876 have been performed.
Climate change and environmental coordinant’s standing committee chairman Munaza Hassan noted, “next year the country expects to receive 22% more rainfall”.
She was souring out with the residents of Islamabad and said they can afford “808 million-peppe-home, but can’t buy three trash cans?”
She further paralyzed the excessive use of plastic and observed that even assistance delivered to flood victims consists of thousands of plastic bottles.
Hassan instructed the committee members and other officials at the meeting to make it mandatory for private companies to install machines for collecting plastic bottles. “I feel like the whole country will end up under the water,” she lamented.
