KABUL (SW): Members of the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) on Saturday voiced their concerns over rising levels of pollution in the capital Kabul.
To highlight the graveness of the issue, the MPs came out of the parliament building and held a demonstration in the open air. Chanting slogans like “people of Kabul need clean air” and “people have the right to clean air and water”, they urged the government to take the matter seriously. They demanded from the central government and relevant organizations to take immediate measures to curb air pollution.
The parliamentarians noted main causes of air pollution are unregulated fuel, high levels of carbon emission from cars and burning of tires for heating purposes.
Fawzia Kofi, a female member of the house, said if the government cannot fight terrorism and insecurity, it should at least curb air pollution in the capital. “According to statistics at least 3000 people lose their lives annually due to air pollution, the government should take immediate measures to improve air quality for the people”, added Kofi.
Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, said on the occasion that the government has failed to perform its basic duty that is to provide clean air and water for the people.
Meanwhile, authorities at the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) have welcomed the attention paid to this issue by the parliamentarians. Ghulam Mohammad Malikyar, NEPA deputy director, told Salam Watandar the parliament was briefed about the rising levels of air pollution 5 months ago. He regretted why the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has not declared ‘health emergency’ in this regard.
ENDS
