Karachi: Environmental health is directly linked to public health, clean air, safe water, improved sanitation and reducing pollution, Sindh Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Secretary Faisal Ahmed Uqaili said on World Environmental Health Day.
According to a communique, he said the Sindh government was taking practical measures by linking environmental protection with public health and sustainable development. The Environment Department was playing an important role in policymaking, monitoring, research and coordination with relevant institutions to address climate change and environmental pollution.
The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) was performing its regulatory role by enforcing environmental laws, monitoring industrial activities, preventing pollution and improving environmental standards across the province, he said.
He said recent initiatives included cooperation with international organisations to improve environmental compliance in the industrial sector, control poll
ution and bring small and medium-sized industries within the ambit of environmental regulations.
Uqaili said scientific research and reliable data were also being given greater importance in addressing environmental health challenges.
The Environment Department was working with Aga Khan University on research and cooperation concerning environmental and climate health, air pollution, heat stress, floods and the health impacts of other climate-related hazards.
He said attention was also being given to modernising and automating Sepa’s air-quality monitoring and regulatory systems to strengthen environmental monitoring and improve the response to pollution.
The secretary said carbon financing and the carbon market had emerged as an important area of Sindh’s environmental initiatives. The province was working on 13 projects aimed at generating carbon credits, while efforts were also under way in collaboration with industry, investors and other stakeholders to promote opportunities in the carbon market and at
tract investment in environmental projects.
Uqaili said the purpose of carbon financing was to promote projects that could help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, encourage clean technologies, improve energy efficiency and support sustainable development.
He said the Sindh government was advancing a coordinated approach to environmental health through effective Sepa monitoring, scientific research, compliance with environmental laws by industries, modern monitoring systems, carbon financing and climate-related initiatives to ensure a cleaner, safer and more sustainable environment in the province.