LAHORE   -   The Environment Protection Depart­ment (EPD) will make all-out efforts to reduce the impact of industrial emissions on environment. EPD Di­rector Assessment Nasim-ur-Reman said in a talk with APP on Thursday that with the help and cooperation of the Punjab govt, Rs 2 billion had been allocated for giving loans to indus­trial units for installation of environ­mental emissions control systems. The loans would be given on the rec­ommendations of the Punjab Small Industries Corporation, he added. The emissions control systems would be installed before the start of next smoggy weather condition, he add­ed. Nasim said that during the last smog period, the EPD squads sealed 586 smoke-emitting industrial units and Rs 35 million fine was imposed on them, collectively. He said that to avoid burning of wheat residue, farm­ers were also being provided with modern harvester, Hepper Seed, to discard crop residue, besides transfer of all brick-kilns to zig-zag technology were also being ensured. Noted envi­ronmentalist, Mehmood Khalid Qa­mar, said that as a result of industrial emissions, the green-house gases had blanketed the Lahore metropolis and its suburbs. These toxic gases trap the sun’s natural heat. This situation is rapidly leading to global warming and climate change at a fast pace, he added. Industrial waste and emissions were one of the primary air pollutants and waste fumes, produced by several activities, cause a damage to public health and cause ecological damage, he added. Noted researcher and pro­fessor of Chemistry Dr Ijaz Bhatti said that industrial fumes, consisting of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and volatile inorganic compounds (VICs), cause bad smell in the area.

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