National mercury reduction programme being launched

Islamabad

The government is launching the National Mercury Reduction Programme under which all mercury sources in Pakistan would be indentified and an inventory would be made, said Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Director General Asif Shuja Khan.

He said this while chairing a panel discussion on ‘Regulating Global Mercury Uses and Releases Control: Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee Fifth Meeting (INC-5) — Issues and Concerns for Pakistan’ organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the International Zero Mercury Working Group.

Shuja said that the final round of international INC-5 on Mercury in Geneva in mid-January 2013 is “our world’s last chance” to cooperate in creating a strong international action on reducing mercury emissions, trade and use.

Dr Mahmood A. Khawaja from SDPI said that mercury contained in coal and other minerals is released into the air mainly from thermal power plants and metal-smelting facilities. He said that in 2009, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a decision on environment by developing a legally binding instrument on mercury. He said that Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was formed in that session. He said that participants in Geneva will try to reach an agreement to limit the use of the toxic substance and its emissions into the atmosphere. He said that emerging countries are seeking flexibility partly by allowing each nation to compile an emissions cut plan according to its own domestic circumstances and seeking financial assistance from developed countries for the development of necessary technologies.

He called for mandatory provision for country national implementation plan (NIP) adding that the proposed treaty in Geneva may also call for limiting the use of mercury for certain products and at chemical plants with an appropriate time period exemption prior to implantation of the treaty provisions.

Syed Zaheer Ahmed Gillani from the Ministry of Climate Change said that Pakistan should take position at INC-5 that our compliance with obligations relating to control measures are conditional to developed nations’ compliance with obligations relating to provisions of financial and technical assistance as well as technology transfer. He said that while Pakistan, in principle supports elimination-phasing out of all hazardous substances including mercury, there is need to ensure that international decisions do not create sudden shocks and losses to our Industry, agriculture, defence, business and trade.

source  thenews.com.pk