KABUL (SW) – Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president, has said that if the owners of high-rise buildings, which account for 40% of the capital’s winter air pollution, do not install smoke purifiers, the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency will be fired.
The first vice president on Sunday wrote in a note on his Facebook page that the high-rise buildings contribute 40% to the air pollution in the capital. He has told the National Environmental Protection Agency to inform the owners of high-rise buildings about the installation of smoke filters.
Kabul residents have long been accusing authorities of inadequacy in preventing the use of substandard fuels in the cold season.
Meanwhile, Samira Rasa, spokeswoman for the Kabul Municipality, told Salam Watandar that this organization alone could not ensure installation of filers in all high-rise buildings. She said that other institutions should work with the KM.
Nek Mohammad, head of inspections at the EPA, told Salam Watandar that the authority has a five-year plan in place to reduce air pollution in the capital. He said 13 departments are working together to implement it.
According to him, the duties of the departments that are supposed to cooperate in the implementation of this plan have been determined, and each department is obliged to perform its duties. He added that 370 high-rise buildings have pledged to install smoke purifiers. He said fines will be imposed if the high-rises do not install smoke purifiers.
Kabul is known as one of the most polluted capitals in the world, and air pollution in winter endangers the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Last year, Kabul, with a population of six million, was ranked next to New Delhi and Beijing as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
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