Coal power plants are the only solution to meet energy shortage in the country and to minimise negative impacts on the environment, international standard technology will be used in plants. Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid on Friday informed this to Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and claimed that these plants will not have negative impacts on the environment.

The meeting was held here under the chairmanship of Senator Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini. Hamid said the country is left with no option but to utilise its untapped coal resources to overcome the growing energy shortage with the help of local and foreign investors.

All the provinces are responsible for taking measures in their respective domains to curb adverse impacts of the climate change, he said, adding that national forest policy is also in the final stages of approval from the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The committee chairman directed the ministry officials to take all possible preventive measures to minimise environmental impacts of the coal power plants in consultation with all the provinces.

Some members of the committee, however, objected to efficacy of the coal power plants, saying that the plants are being shut down in other countries due to their negative environmental impacts on human lives and agriculture. The minister told that Pakistan has the sixth largest coal reserves in the world and there is need to utilise this resource effectively to overcome the energy shortage while using the latest technology.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Pakistan's exports have decreased due to high tariff of electricity as the exporters cannot compete with their rivals in the international market. Briefing the committee members about sporadic incidents of fire in the Margalla Hills, Capital Development Authority officials said that 31 checkpoints have been set up in the hills and around 600 forest guards remain on duty round the clock to prevent any untoward incident like fire.

The committee members were informed that CDA officials use two helicopters to douse the fire. The members grilled the CDA officials for their incompetence of curbing the incidents of fire in the jungle and protecting natural flora and fauna in the federal capital.

The committee chairman also questioned performance of the CDA employees, saying that only 20 to 30 employees remain present in the Parliament Lodges out of 200. The director general Met Department informed the committee members that heat wave is likely in Karachi in May and June and the department has installed a system there to inform the public and policymakers beforehand about it.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017