The inaugural session of the National Workshop on Urban Air Quality and Integrated Traffic Management was held at a local hotel in Karachi. Organized by the Pakistan Clean Air Network (PCAN), in collaboration with Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak EPA), Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), City District Government Karachi (CDGK), Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank and IUCN Pakistan, the workshop aimed at devising a pragmatic plan of action for Pakistan especially Karachi, based on national and international experiences in Air Quality Management (AQM). The workshop highlighted air quality issues with particular focus on integrated traffic management. The participants of the workshop included relevant national stakeholders (national, provincial and local governments, civil society organizations, academic institutions, development agencies and the private sector) and international delegates.

Malik Amin Aslam, Minister of State for Environment was the chief guest for the inaugural ceremony of the workshop. In his address, the minister stated that air pollution had assumed alarming proportions in Pakistani cities. He said that trend of accelerating environmental degradation with economic growth has been witnessed in mega cities around the world. According to him, the challenge was to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.

He informed that the Government of Pakistan is taking several measures for addressing air pollution in the cities. First step is to collect ambient air quality data to provide a baseline for monitoring future initiatives. For this purpose, a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) funded project on the establishment of air quality monitoring stations in major cities has been initiated by Pak EPA. This will be followed by the formulation of ambient air quality standards, a prerequisite for air quality management. The government is also in the process of finalizing the Pakistan Clean Air Programme (PCAP), which will present a clear plan for improving air quality in cities. The Mid-Term Development Framework (MTDF) also addresses air pollution. The Government’s commitment to reduce environmental degradation is apparent from the increasing budget being allocated to the environment sector – from Rs. 300 million a few years ago to Rs. 5 billion for 2006. The minister urged civil society to play a proactive role in keeping the air quality improvement agenda on the forefront of policy debates and appreciated the role played by the Lahore Clean Air Commission (LCAC) in curbing air pollution in the city. He congratulated IUCN Pakistan for having forged the right partnership for addressing the air pollution issue and hoped that the workshop would provide practical recommendations that may also be incorporated in PCAP during its finalization.

Zia-ul-Islam, Director Pak-EPA gave a brief overview of the measures being taken by the agency for air quality improvement in the country, including the PCAP, establishment of air quality monitoring systems, formulation of ambient air quality standards and the development of a road map for introducing the Euro standards for vehicular emissions. Similarly, Malik Zaheer-ul-Islam, Director General Karachi Mass Transit Cell, City District Government Karachi, (CDGK) expressed the commitment of the district government for improving air quality in the city. He stated that about 400 vehicles were being added to the city roads every day, which indicates the magnitude of the problem. Further, there are about 18 agencies functioning within Karachi with the jurisdiction for tackling transportation related issues, but not all of them fall under CDGK. This situation gives rise to management and organizational issues and hinders the implementation of transportation related air quality management initiatives. In order to address this problem, the CDGK has instituted the Karachi Clean Air Coordination Committee (KCACC), which brings all relevant agencies and stakeholders on a common forum and facilitates taking and implementing decisions. CDGK has also undertaken a study for the induction of environment friendly buses in the city and has also taken steps for reducing the sulphur content in fuel.

Safdar Parvaiz, Head, Country Policy Department, ADB said that urban sector development formed an important component of the ADB’s country policy for Pakistan and the institution is committed to providing long term assistance for Karachi’s development. He regarded the workshop as a timely initiative that will contribute to the future direction of ADB’s programme for urban sector development in Pakistan.

Paul J. Martin, Senior Environment Specialist for the World Bank appreciated the cohesion of the partner organizations in arranging this workshop. Quoting the recently conducted Strategic Country Environmental Assessment by the World Bank, he pointed out that conservative estimate of the costs of environmental degradation in Pakistan amounts to about 6% of the GDP. Among Asian cities, Pakistani cities have very high air pollutant levels. The formulation of health based Air Quality Standards is an important step that needs to be taken for air quality management in Pakistan. Further, a public information system to support clean air, such as publishing the daily Air Quality Index for major cities, also needs to be established to raise public awareness.

Sohail Malik, Country Representative IUCN Pakistan, said that though IUCN has traditionally been working with green issues, it has also undertaken several initiatives in the brown sector. The organization is now focusing programmatically on brown sector issues and particularly on urban air pollution. It has therefore entered into partnership with the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities, a joint initiative of ADB and the World Bank, to address air quality issues in the cities of Pakistan. He assured the Workshop partners and all stakeholders of IUCN Pakistan’s continued support to the cause of air quality improvement in Pakistan.

Mohammad Aqib, Coordinator Pakistan Clean Air Network presented the objectives of the workshop and explained that the workshop was expected to come up with practical recommendations for improving air quality in Pakistan.