The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly on Tuesday stressed upon the need to create mass awareness about environmental degradation and demanded the taking of pro-active steps in devising a comprehensive plan in this regard.
The PAC, which met with Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the chair, demanded that the ministry become more efficient and create links with the president, prime minister and secretariats as well as forge close ties with the media to carry this task forward.
While expressing deep concern over water pollution in different rivers, Nisar said that people used to drink water from rivers like the Swat and Ravi some twenty years back but with toxic waste now polluting rivers they have changed into sewage nullahs.
He said there is need to create awareness among the general public about a clean environment and assured PAC’s full support in this regard. He said the Environment Ministry will be the most important one in coming years and there is need to evolve a national environment policy so as to start the process of preserving the environment.
Environment Secretary Muhammad Javed Malik accepted that creating awareness is the most important need of the hour and maintained that the ministry is well aware of the sensitivity of the issue. He assured the committee that a sketch of the action plan would be prepared by the ministry and presented before the PAC within two months. The meeting was informed that the ministry launched the Activity Based Capacity Development (ABCD) Project in 2005 with the approved cost of Rs 133.4 million but it was poorly executed due to failure in recruitment.
The meeting took notice of the issue and gave two weeks time for affixing responsibility and presenting a report before the PAC.
