ABOUT US
ENVIRONMENT AND
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY DEPARTMENT
Environment and Alternative
Energy Department was established in October
2002 to attend to all issues pertaining to
environment and for the propagation of renewable
energies through the Environmental Protection
Agency, Sindh and the Directorate of Alternative
Energy.
At the macro level, the
department is responsible for the protection,
conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of
environment of the province with the support of
regulatory legislation.
On the other hand, the
Department promotes alternative energy resources
for complementing the overall energy production
so as to attend the grave energy shortage in the
country.
The Administrative
Department comprises of following officers.
1) Secretary 2)
Additional Secretary 3). Deputy Secretary 4).
Section Officers
The office of the
Administrative Department is presently housed in
the building of EPA located at Plot No. ST 2/1,
Sector 23, Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY, SINDH
It was first established in
July 1989 and it functioned under the various
Departments of Government of Sindh and now it
reports to Environment and Alternative Energy
Department since October 2002.
-
Monitoring and
regulating agency responsible for
enforcement of Pakistan Environmental
Protection Act 1997
-
Enforce
National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS)
-
Implement Self
Monitoring & Reporting Tool (SMART)
-
Evaluate and
approve Environmental Impact Assessment and
Initial Environmental Examination
-
Advise and
coordinate with the government, NGOs etc on
preventive measures for abatement of
pollution.
-
Assist local
authorities and government departments to
implement schemes for proper disposal of
wastes to ensure compliance with NEQS
-
Enhance
awareness among general public
-
Conduct
research and studies on different
environmental issues
-
Attend to
public complaints on environmental issues
-
Carry out any
other task related to environment assigned
by the government.
DIRECTORATE OF
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Established in October 2002 and its
mandate includes:
-
To promote
alternative energy from all natural sources
such as sunlight, wind, water, bio-mass and
ocean waves in Sindh.
-
To assess
technical and economical potential for
alternative energy sources.
-
Advise the
Sindh Government on policies, rules and
regulations pertaining to the promotion of
alternative energy
-
Disseminate
information on alternative energy sources to
the public and communities and private and
public sector organizations
HISTORY OF
LEGISLATION
Inspite of the continuous
criticism of the public and the civil society
about the environmental degradation in the
country, it is a fact that Pakistan’s
environmental policy is based on participatory
approach to achieve the objectives of
sustainable development through legal,
administrative and technically sound
institutions.
The Federal Environment Ministry was established
in Pakistan in 1975, as a follow up of Stockholm
Declaration of 1972. The Ministry was
responsible for promulgation of the
Environmental Protection Ordinance 1983, which
was the first comprehensive legislation prepared
in the country. Its objective was to establish
institutions for environmental protection, which
include the Pakistan Environmental Protection
Council, Pakistan Environmental Protection
Agency, Environmental Protection Agency Sindh,
Environmental Protection Agency Punjab,
Environmental Protection Agency NWFP and
Environmental Protection Agency Balochistan.
In
1992, Pakistan attended the Earth Summit in
Rio-De Janeiro, Brazil and thereafter became
party to various international conventions and
protocols. This political commitment augmented
the environmental protection process in the
country.
The National Conservation
Strategy (NCS) was formulated in the same year
and it provides a broad framework for addressing
the environmental concerns in the country. In
1993, the National Environmental Quality
Standards (NEQS) were designed so that the law
could be effectively implemented.
The Pakistan Environmental
Protection Act was enacted on 6th December 1997,
provides the framework for implementation of
National Conservation Strategy, establishment of
Provincial Sustainable Development Funds;
protection and conservation of species;
conservation of renewable resources;
establishment of Environmental Tribunals and
appointment of Environmental Magistrates,
Initial Environmental Examination, and
Environmental Impact Assessment.
Salient Features
of PEPA 1997
1. Section
3 - Establishment of Pakistan Environmental
Protection Council
Basic Structure
Its members are;
-
Prime Minister
(Chairperson)
-
Minister for
Environment
-
Chief Ministers of all
Provinces
-
Provincial Ministers
for Environment of all Provinces
-
Members from trade
bodies and technical fields not exceeding 35
-
Provincial Secretaries
Environment
-
Ex-officio members as
and when appointed for three years
Functions and
Powers of the Council
-
Coordination and Supervision for the
enforcement of Pakistan Environmental
Protection Act
- Approval
and implementation of national environmental
policies
- Approval
of environmental standards and parameters
- Issuance
of guidelines for the protection of
biodiversity, natural resources and habitat,
and for the conservation of renewable and
non-renewable resources
- Consideration of
National Environment Report and directions
thereof
2. Section 5 - Pakistan
Environmental Protection Agency
- Administer
and implement the provisions of Pakistan
Environmental Protection Act 1997 and the
rules and regulations made there under
-
Preparation of the National Environmental
Policy for the approval by the Council
-
Preparation and publication of National
Environment Report
-
Preparation/Revision of National Environment
Quality Standards and to ensure their
enforcement
-
Establishment of systems and procedures for
surveys, surveillance, monitoring,
measurement, examination, investigation,
research, inspection and audit to prevent
and control pollution.
-
- Summon and
enforce the attendance of any person and
require him to supply any information of
document needed for the conduct of any
inquiry or investigation into any
environmental issue.
- Enter and
inspect and under the authority of a search
warrant issued by the Environmental Tribunal
or Environmental Magistrate, search at any
responsible time, any land, building,
premises, vehicles or vessel or other place
where or in which, there are reasonable
grounds to believe that an offence under
this Act has been or is being committed;
- And
several other powers as envisaged in PEP Act
97.
3. Section 8 -
Provincial EPAs
Every Provincial Government
shall be notification in the official Gazette,
establish an Environmental Protection Agency, to
exercise such powers and perform such functions
as may be delegated to it by the Provincial
Government under sub-section (2) of section 26
of PEP Act 97.
4. Section 9 -
Provincial Sustainable Development Fund
Main
Purpose
To provide financial
assistance to the projects designed for the
protection, conservation, rehabilitation and
improvement of the environment, the prevention
and control of pollution, the sustainable
development of resources and for research of any
specified aspect of environment.
Management
The Fund is managed by a
Provincial Sustainable Development Fund Board
comprising of members from Planning and
Development, Finance, Industries and Finance
departments while non-official members, not
exceeding ten, are from trade and commerce
bodies and association
5. Section 12 –
Environmental Impact Assessment and Initial
Environmental Examination
Submission of Environmental
Impact Assessment is a process to evaluate the
environmental risks and benefits associated with
the developmental projects. Section 12 makes it
mandatory on all proponents of projects not to
commence construction or operation unless an EIA
or IEE is approved.
An EIA Regulations, 2000
has been notified, which provides procedure for
this activity.
Section 13 -
Import of hazardous waste
This section regulates the
import and movement of hazardous substances
which are toxic, explosive, flammable,
corrosive, radioactive, and which cause directly
or in combination with other matters, an adverse
environmental effect.
Section 15 –
Vehicular Emission from Motor Vehicles
Operation of a motor
vehicle from which gaseous emission or noise
exceeds the NEQS, or other standards established
by Pak-EPA where ambient conditions so require,
have been prohibited. To ensure compliance with
the NEQS, the Pak-EPA has been empowered to
direct that pollution control devices be
installed in motor vehicles or fuels specified
by Pak-EPA be used in them or specified
maintenance or testing be carried out on them.
Section 20 -
Establishment of Environmental Tribunals
The government is empowered to constitute
Environmental Tribunals to hear cases relating
to Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.
The federal government has established four
Environmental Tribunals one in each province.
Section 24 -
Designation of Environmental Magistrates
The federal and provincial
governments have designated senior civil judges
as Environmental Magistrates to take all
contraventions punishable in respect of handling
of hazardous substances and pollution caused by
motor vehicles.
Section 26 -
Delegation of powers to provincial governments
under section 26
Ministry of Environment,
Local Government and Rural Development had
delegated functions and powers of it and the
Federal Environmental Protection Agency under
section 26 of the Act to the provincial
governments. The provincial governments have
further delegated these powers and functions to
Environmental Protection Agencies and also
planning to sub-delegate selected powers to the
local government.
Pakistan
Environmental Protection Council
The apex body, Pakistan
Environment Protection Council (PEPC), was first
constituted in 1984 under section 3 of the
Pakistan Environmental Protection Ordinance (PEPO),
1983, with President of Pakistan as its
Chairman. In 1994, an amendment was made in the
Ordinance to provide for the Prime Minister or
his nominee to be the head of the Council. The
Council was reconstituted after enactment of the
new law i.e. Pakistan Environmental Protection
Act, 1997.
It is headed by the Prime
Minister (Chief Executive) of Pakistan. The
council is represented by trade and industry,
leading NGOs, educational intuitions, experts,
journalists and concerned ministries.
Environmental
Issues of Sindh
The environmental
challenges being faced by Sindh are enormous,
which have largely resulted from the effects of
rapid population growth, increasing rate of
urbanization and the development of industrial
estates adjacent to the major cities. These
activities have put enormous pressure on the
natural resource base of the province. Also,
availability of wastes due to limited treatment
facilities, the increasing release of industrial
effluent and municipal waste have polluted the
land and water bodies, thereby posing a
perpetual threat to the health of living beings.
Presently province is
facing various local and global environmental
threats which include:
Local
-
Air Pollution
-
Drinking Water
Contamination
-
Domestic &
industrial waste water
-
Marine
Pollution
-
Municipal &
industrial Solid Waste
-
Hospital waste
-
Industrial
Hazardous Waste
-
Noise
Pollution
-
Desertification / Deforestation
-
Agrochemicals
-
Biodiversity
under severe degradation /destruction
-
Sea intrusion
-
Risks of Oil
Spills at Ports
Global
-
Climate Change
-
Global Warming
-
Ozone
Depletion
-
Acid Rain
-
Loss of
Biodiversity
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