NEPRA had demanded to charge 9% points of power for the establishment of any waste-to-energy plant, but the Climate Change Ministry that no plant had yet been established.
The meeting chaired by Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee, Senator Seemee Ezdi discussed agenda items pertaining to consideration of public petition on Green Building Initiative and international conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Nations in Geneva.
The National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA) has been advised by the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change to assess the energy efficiency of Parliament building in order to determine its contribution to energy conservation through solarization.
The Green Building Initiative guidelines are currently available, but the codes that must be followed in the process will be prepared by the end of this month, according to Ministry of Climate Change officials who briefed the Committee on the agenda items.
In contrast to the Green Building Initiative’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the official added that building structures use 80% of the energy used worldwide.
Additionally, he made it clear that the Green Building Initiative was only for high-rise structures, not residences. According to him, it would help absorb carbon emissions rather than produce the greenhouse effect.
Farzana Altaf Shah, director general of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, further stated that people were using paints that contained zinc and were inherently carcinogenic, which had an adverse impact on the environment.
She informed the committee that there had been no research done on using handwashing water for flushing in Pakistan. Moreover, because it remained on the ground, the disposal of cement bags, glass, etc. was also important because it remained on the dumping sites undecomposed.
“Even though many buildings are built, there is still a lot of solid waste lying around after the culmination of construction work.” At present, there is no company in the country ensuring complete solid waste management.
Municipal solid waste management in Islamabad is handled by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (MCI), she added. She stated that research on the leaching effect on roads made of plastic waste was necessary because leaching did occur in areas where solid waste was dumped.
A square design, according to Senator Dr. Humayun Khan Mohmand, requires fewer building materials. To ensure solid waste management, however, incinerators should be present, and all institutions must collaborate to ensure the safe disposal of solid waste, he added.
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) had demanded to charge nine percentage points of power for the establishment of any waste-to-energy plant, but the Climate Change Ministry officials informed the Committee that no waste-to-energy plant had yet been established.
Senator Taj Haider said all public buildings in the capital should be shifted to solar. “Solarization will help save money while also creating space for new ideas to emerge and benefit the masses,” he added.
The ministry representative also informed the committee about the International Conference on Pakistan’s Climate Resilience. According to him, the conference’s main goal was to mobilise the international community in support of the rehabilitation of flood victims.
He also noted that the conference’s theme was “Resilient, Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework” and that nearly a third of the country was still under water (4RF).
He claimed that while the Planning Commission and the provincial governments determined the flood damages, a number of institutions collaborated to determine the post-flood needs.
According to a Ministry official, losses in Sindh were primarily brought on by the population’s proximity to the Indus River’s banks.