NEPA efforts to curb air pollution inadequate

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani has identified environmental protection a top priority of his administration, calling Afghanistan the world’s 17^th country whose environment is under threat.

President Ghani heard reports of National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA) officials during a meeting on Wednesday evening, his office said in a statement.

After listening to the reports, the president said environment was his government’s top priority, seeking international investment in programmes instead of projects.

Afghanistan was the 17^th country in the world whose environment had been under threat. He underlined the need for more programmes to protect it.

Ghani viewed NEPA efforts for combating air pollution as inadequate. He believed more work should be done to deal with factors that caused air pollution.

He asked NEPA to work on its programmes and designs, considering available international resources.

The president called for greater focus on forest protection, tree plantation, water management and resolving other environmental issues.

NEPA should coordinate with municipalities in order to work effectively and prevent natural threats such as droughts and floods, he concluded.

bk/sa/mud

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