ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the launching ceremony of Pakistan’s first ever barometer to measure green character and cleanliness of cities the “Clean Green Pakistan Index (CGPI)” – stated that Lahore was much clean city 35 years ago.
“We had believed that Delhi was the most polluted city […] lung diseases are increasing […] pollution is a silent killer,” he said, while regretting that nobody had considered the alarming state of pollution in Lahore city.
“It is even difficult to breathe […] in the last 10 years, 70 percent of Lahore’s trees were chopped down and pollution has reached alarming level in Lahore,” he added. The premier remarked that Lahore has turned into the third most polluted city of the world.
“We need to mend our ways […] we are introducing the best local body system in the history of the state […] Sindh cannot develop without this system,” he went on to say.
“Naya Pakistan will be formed with collective effort […] at first [its concept] must be conceived, only then [its results] could be observed at ground,” he pointed out. “Greed is the most damaging for humans; [I am] happy that people are paying taxes,” he added.
Advisor on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam also addressed the ceremony and stated: “The clean and green campaign is continuing successfully in Islamabad […] introduction of electric vehicles can control environmental pollution [a particular] mafia doesn’t want introduction of electric vehicles and become successful [in Pakistan].”
“Thousands gallons of freshwater are being wasted into the ocean […] contaminated water will be recycled for consumption and efforts are being implemented to prevent the loss of freshwater and work is underway for installation of various indicators in 19 cities [of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa],” he added.
Earlier, Mr Aslam said that the barometer aims at improving overall green and clean outlook of the Pakistani cities by kicking off six-month competition amongst the cities on various indicators in the first phase.
The data for the Clean Green Pakistan Index would be collected by municipal and district departments which would be submitted through Municipal headquarters to Provincial headquarters and then to the MoCC.
The ceremony was attended by top key political and non-political representatives of provincial governments including Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, federal and provincial ministers, senior federal, provincial government officials and ambassadors of various countries.
In an interview with Arab News, Mr Aslam said that the government has been committed for the transition of 30 percent of all new vehicles to electric vehicles by the year 2030. “The transition will begin with 100,000 cars and 500,000 motorcycles and rickshaws in the next four years.”
The advisor to the PM said the government would soon offer tax benefits and incentives to manufacturers and importers of electric vehicles in order to reduce its inflated oil imports’ bill, carbon emissions, boost industrial growth, and create jobs.
