Pollution level in Kabul declared ‘worrisome’

KABUL Protection Authority (NEPA) on Monday called environmental pollution in capital Kabul a matter of concern and warned the disaster of last winter would repeat if the issue was not paid attention.

Kazmi Hamayon, NEPA head, talking on the occasion of International Environment Day here, said the air got more polluted in warm weather and pollution disaster of the last winter would repeat if no practical measures were taken.

He said NEPA had launched a public awareness campaign for environmental protection over the last three months through mosques, schools, universities and spread brochures across the country.

Hamayon said their organization had limited personnel and resources and informing a population of five million in Kabul required a more workforce.

He also explained some specific plans for getting rid of pollution and said the programs had been prepared by NEPA in cooperation of relevant organs.

Nisar Ahmad Bahavi, ambassador for Afghanistan environment, said that using plastic bags was one of the reasons of pollution. “If everyone of us use one plastic bag a day, it would become a lot of plastics over a month or a year,” he said.

He called using coal and oil other reasons of environmental pollution in Kabul and said that people had to show mercy towards their own kids and not to create illnesses for them by using pollution-producing materials.

Ghulam Nabi Kahsar, head of crafters association of 11^th police district of Kabul, talking at the event, said that poverty and high population of people in the city also contributed to pollution.

He said residents of districts came to cities for work and earnings which he said resulted in congestive population that led to pollution.

Importing of low quality fuel to the country and deforestation were other reasons of pollution, Kahsar said. He asked the government to prevent imports of poor quality fuel to the country.

mds/ma