Government: tackling environmental problems through initiatives: Zartaj

KARACHI: Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said on Tuesday that the federal government is tackling environmental issues through initiatives such as Clean and Green Pakistan and others.

She expressed these views while addressing the ceremony of the “BARACUDDA Series XI Annual Marine Oil Spill Response Exercise” held here at a local hotel. . Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Maritime Affairs Mahmood Baqi Moulvi and other officials from the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) attended the event.

“Pollution is one of the main problems,” she said and added that a visionary leader like Prime Minister Imran Khan has planned projects like Clean and Green Pakistan to solve the problem of degradation of the land. environment in the country. She informed that the government launched the 10 Billion Trees Tsunami project on the boss of the Billion Trees Project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who would play a crucial role in the fight against climate change in the country.

“We are not contributing to environmental degradation like other countries like India are doing because they have huge industries. Despite this, we have taken a number of initiatives to control this problem. Mangrove expansion increased by 300 percent during the PTI regime, ”she said.

Lamenting the Sindh government for poor governance in the province, she said the provincial government is doing nothing to tackle the environmental problem and even sewage is being discharged into the sea without its proper treatment. “It is a provincial matter and it is the responsibility of the provincial government to treat the wastewater before it is thrown away,” she explained. Zartaj informed that the federal government has launched some projects such as the green bus service in the province to make life easier for the people.

Appreciating the role of Pakistan Maritime Safety Agency (PMSA), she also informed that the agency is playing a due role in solving the problem of marine population. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Maritime Affairs, Mahmood Baqi Moulvi, said that the federal government will take all measures to resolve the population problem.

In addition to that, we have launched projects like K4 and others in Sindh province to help the people of Sindh, she added. Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Director General Rear Admiral Mirza Foad Amin Baigh HI (H) said the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, Pakistan Navy National Port Authorities, companies Oil marketer and other stakeholders continue to join hands in a collective effort to tackle Pakistan pollution.

“The vulnerability of the sea to marine pollution due to the risk of an oil spill requires regular repetitions of our response options. These response options are primarily aimed at securing effective measures to make improvements to the existing response strategy, ”he added.

Likewise, as part of our international obligation, he declared that our maritime search and rescue services also respond to situations where human life or property is in danger. In a similar context, the conduct of search and rescue (SAR) exercises at sea makes it possible to validate responses and strengthen coordination between the participating bodies.

In the same vein, he said the PMSA intends to conduct an annual BARACUDDA Series XI offshore oil spill response exercise from January 11 to 13, 2022.

In addition to meeting national environmental and pollution control objectives, this exercise will also provide a common platform to deliberate and execute the response mechanism for a range of marine pollution incidents, including search and rescue exercises, he said.