Garbage, Harmful Inflammable Material Burning To Cause Fatal Impacts: Farzana Altaf

Director General Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PAK-EPA) Farzana Altaf Shah Friday said the burning of plastic, garbage, green waste and harmful inflammable material for heating by the citizens is highly injurious to health.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Nov, 2018 ) :Director General Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PAK-EPA) Farzana Altaf Shah Friday said the burning of plastic, garbage, green waste and harmful inflammable material for heating by the citizens is highly injurious to health.

Talking to APP, DG PAK-EPA said as the mercury is declining with the winter season gaining momentum the citizens have started to ignite fires at open places, street corners and outside workshops.

She said that burning of harmful substance mainly by workshop workers and motor mechanics mostly putting their dirty linen soaked in grease, diesel and any other chemical at fire releases carcinogenic emissions that barely affects lungs and causes serious health complications including respiratory diseases and cancer.

"A smoker jeopardizes only 2 to 3 people's health closer to him during smoking whereas such detrimental trash burning puts entire society's life at risk as the emissions caused by the combustion had far reaching and lasting impacts on public health," she added.

Farzana Altaf Shah said that EPA was frequently monitoring the air quality and taking requisite measures by issuing notices to such violators whereas public awareness was of utmost importance to curb the ominous practice common in the cold season.

She said since there was no scientific landfill site or any permanent waste dump in the Federal capital open discarding of garbage has made this practice frequent. The temporary garbage dump in I-12 was also contributing into the problem whereas the Sanitation department should ensure proper dumping of garbage so that no body could fire garbage heaps as it would erupt Smog in the city.

Noushad Arif, an environment student said the relentless burning of garbage and fallen leaves is going on where citizens at various locations can be seen putting debris at fire in the evening hours exacerbating the ambiance of the federal capital.

He added that it has grown common in the city where people are burning plastic, household garbage andfallen leaves. He said that the concerned authorities should take notice of the situation as the lurking smog issuewould gain momentum from such indigenous violations at the part of the citizens.