National Environmental Policy

The National Environmental Policy of Pakistan is a cross sectoral policy. The main objectives of the Policy are a) conservation, restoration and efficient management of environmental issues, particularly pollution of fresh water bodies and coastal waters, air pollution, lack of proper waste management, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, desertification, natural disasters and climate change, b) integration of environmental considerations in policy making and planning processes, capacity building of government agencies and other stakeholders at all levels for better environmental management, c) meeting international obligations effectively in line with the national aspirations and d) creation of a demand for environment through mass awareness and community mobilization to aim at protecting, conserving and restoring Pakistan’s environment in order to improve the quality of life of the citizens through sustainable development.
The Government take measures to provide sustainable access to safe water supply and effectively manage and conserve the country’s water resources, such as developing legal and policy framework for promotion of safe drinking water, increasing coverage of water supply and water treatment facilities, establishing a water quality monitoring and surveillance system, making installation of water treatment plants as an integral component of all drinking water supply schemes, Furthermore the Government take measures to ensure sustainable management of natural forests and increased tree cover for safeguarding economic growth and food security.
The measures taken by the Government to achieve sustainable agricultural and livestock development are ensuring protection and preservation of prime agricultural land, promoting organic farming, preventing soil degradation and restoring and improving degraded lands, encouraging ecologically compatible cropping systems, enhancing existing livestock production through development of new technologies, promoting recycling of agricultural products associated with livestock production and use of livestock sector as an outlet for recycling of appropriate urban wastes, encouraging highly productive breeds of livestock and introducing adequate animal waste management system in peri-urban dairy colonies. To achieve environmental sustainability in the context of economic growth, the Government may enhance community level environmental management, regularize all the notified squatter settlements through provision of water supply and sanitation facilities.
The Government may integrate poverty-environment issues into economic policies and plans, increase allocations for targeted interventions aimed to address poverty-environment nexus, especially at the grassroots level and improve poor’s access to environmentally sound technologies, to achieve poverty reduction in the context of economic growth. The Policy ensures that all environment related policies, projects and programs are gender sensitive and also promotes empowerment of women.
Promoting integrated pest management, developing strategies and programs to tackle desertification in line with the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification and Drought, establishing National Desertification Control Fund are the measures taken by the Government for sustainable agriculture. The Government also take measures in order to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change and to protect the ozone layer, such as devising and implementing the National Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, establishing National Clean Development Mechanism Authority, developing and implementing policy and operational framework for effective CDM process, promoting the use of ozone friendly technologies and phasing out the use of ozone depleting substances. In addition, to ensure disaster risk reduction and adequate preparedness for natural disasters, the Government may develop and implement a natural disaster management strategy and establish disaster management institutions.
The Ministry of Environment will develop an “Action Plan” for the Policy’s implementation. All relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies will also devise plans and programs for implementation of the Policy. A “National Environment Policy Implementation Committee” will be established to ensure effective coordination of policy implementation.