Senate lower body on climate change to visit proposed landfill sites, Nullahs

ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change convener Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed Tuesday said the committee members will visit the federal capital’s proposed locations of Sagjani and Shah Allah Ditta landfill site and nullahs.

He made these remarks at the meeting of the sub-committee held here at COMSATS University to devise doable mechanism for “Say No to Plastic Campaign”, mobilizing students and community and also promoting public awareness on Clean Islamabad especially cleaning of Nullahs and garbage disposal.

Mushahid said, “We want to visit the planned dumping sites to ascertain the feasibility and environmental impact on the local community. The cleanliness of nullahs and garbage disposal is another chief concern for us as we want to have a well planned strategy to kick off the campaign during Ramadan.”

The convener mentioned that the prime focus of the Senate lower committee was on a proper landfill site, ban on plastic bags and single use water bottles which were extremely hazardous for human health and environment.

He lauded the role of COMSATS University as it was the first institution to respond on their call for Plastic Free Islamabad Campaign. Around 500 students of the university on 10th April carried out cleanliness and plantation at various spots of the federal capital, he appreciated.

“We are working to make the federal capital clean and green where we need all stakeholders on one page as efforts in silos will be futile. Youth is our key weapon in this mission to preserve our environment,” he said while addressing to students at COMSATS.

Mushahid underscored that during the second China Belt and Road Initiative Conference, the Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced to make the silk route and China Pakistan Economic Corridor green.

“Unfortunately, 90 per cent of legislation on environmental issues has no implementation in the country where legislation is not an uphill task its implementation becomes a daunting job,” he regretted.

Additional Secretary Ministry of Climate Change, Babar Hayat Tarar briefed the committee that the proposed landfill sites was a comprehensive project which would help resolve the solid waste disposal and management issues of the federal capital. He said the project includes segregation of the waste as per global standards; compost formation and then it would ultimately switch to waste energy mix.

Babar said the ministry was diligently working on the landfill site programme where Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report was to be carried out to proceed further on the project. The ministry was also scaling up efforts to turn the federal capital plastic bags and one time use polyethene plastic products.

The legal framework had been accomplished to ban plastic bags where as new statutory regulatory order (SRO) was awaited whereas Rowanda’s model for plastic free society was replicated. “We have planned to announce Plastic Bags Free Islamabad on the coming Independence Day-14th August,” he added.

“The ban will be imposed in different phases as in the beginning it will be imposed on the manufacturers and importers, wholesale dealers, sale of plastic bags and single use polyethene in the federal capital,” the additional secretary informed.

Senator Muhammad Ali Khan Saif said the 18th Constitutional Amendment was the biggest hindrance in the way of effective implementation of the laws.

Member from Green Force, a volunteer environmental activist group, Christine Afridi said, “I have discovered a dumping site in Banni Gala Botanical Garden which is deplorable. I invited Mayor of Islamabad and Director Sanitation Metropolitan Corporation Sardar Khan Zimri to visit the spot.”

Christine lamented that only Director Sanitation reached on the Botanical Garden dumping site where no concrete steps were taken rather the garbage was submerged under the earth and around 16 dumpsters were also removed from the place which had aggravated the situation.

Executive Director COMSATS, Dr Junaid Zaidi said that plastic ban should offer biodegradable solutions and it was the job of the students and academia to innovate such inventions. He said in Malaysia there were disposal plates made of leaves and the same could be replicated here with mango and loquat leaves which had healthy impacts.

He directed the students to announce a massive call among all the disciples of different varsities for nullah cleanliness drive where Capital Development Authority (CDA) would also assist them in the campaign.

Dr Zaidi also suggested to build small parks at the banks of the nullahs for the children locality which would help to provide a recreational site for the masses.