Punjab government allocates an amount of Rs 190 million during the financial year 2014-15 for Environment Sector for five new and five ongoing schemes. According to the budget documents, the scheme titled Establishment of Air Quality Monitoring System in Punjab aims at building the capacity of Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to effectively monitor and implement Provincial Environmental Quality Standards (PEQS).
The provision of missing facilities in EPA field offices is an important initiative of the Department for effective monitoring of polluters and compliance of PEQS. The development of Biodiversity Park in collaboration with City/District Governments will not only help in conserving the endangered species but also create awareness among the masses for conservation and protection of biodiversity.
The Biodiversity parks have been established at Bahawalpur, Kasur and DG Khan and Biodiversity Park at Murree will be completed during 2014-15. The formulation and implementation of regulatory framework is one of the prime responsibilities of EPD. The Department is creating a legal cell to introduce and promote management and legal discipline to effectively enforce the environmental regulations.
The department has envisaged commencement of a number of new interventions during 2014-15. The notable ones are to establish benchmarking of major environmental parameters in Punjab. This data will enable the scientists and policy makers to gauge the changes in environmental resources like air, land and water. The industrial and municipal waste water are being thrown untreated/unchecked in the water bodies.