KARACHI: The provincial government on Tuesday decided not to issue no-objection certificate to new housing schemes in the province unless these projects have a provision for greenbelts.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by environmental minister Mohammad Ismail Rahu and attended by director general Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), among others.

Source said the decision had been taken in view of the heatwaves being experienced across the province, which experts linked to climate change.

Allocation of land, they said, for greenbelts would be mandatory before construction.

The minister directed director general Sepa Naeem Ahmed Mughal to formulate new tree plantation policies for housing schemes in the province in view of rising temperatures.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2022