ISLAMABAD, May 20: National environmental programmes have been seeing no progress since the devolution of the Ministry of Environment two years ago.

All environmental conservation plans were approved by the Pakistan Environment Protection Council (PEPC) – the apex organisation at the national level for formulation and implementation of the national environmental policy and programmes – headed by the prime minister.

“Years of planning and hard work had gone into constituting and initiating environment conservation programmes around the country for better air quality, and water purification to give some examples. There is nobody to pursue all that had been envisaged,” said Director-General Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Asif Shuja.

The Environment Protection Act 1997 as well as Pak-EPA’s jurisdiction, the DG explained, were now limited to the federal capital. The law had too many grey areas, he added.Ambient Air Quality Programme and the Drinking Water Standards, besides Noise Reduction Standards and compliance to Euro standards of fuel quality all had been deserted.

According to another senior official in the newly formed Ministry of National Disaster Management said Pakistan was already way behind in introducing Euro standards of fuel.

“While India is thinking Euro 4 and Euro 5, Pakistan has not even jumped to Euro 1. It is imperative that we adopt Euro fuel standards to phase out the Sulphur content from the fuel,” said the official explaining how the target to reduce sulphur content was set at 0.05 per cent.

Although Attock Petroleum and Pak-Arab Refinery were complying, most oil refinery plants were yet to introduce Desulphurization plants to bring down Sulphur content in the fuel that was today as high as 0.5 per cent.

Compliance to better diesel standards were to come into effect from January 2012 and compliance to Euro petrol standards were to come into effect after July 2012, the official explained.

The DG Pak-EPA said a resolution had been passed by the National Assembly to introduce bio-degradable plastic bags and ban non-bio-degradable bags countrywide.

The initiative to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags was still pending and the Ambient Air Quality programme supported by the Japanese government was on the brink of closure, he regretted.

“Whether it is the metal treatment of edges all along national highways in the country in collaboration with the National Highway Authority (NHA) or strengthening motor examination stations to be built across the country, all are yet to materialise,” the DG said.

The Ministry of National Disaster Management had also expressed concern over most of the national environment programmes coming to standstill after devolution.