President Ashraf Ghani has asked the Ministry of Interior to take serious action against those violating government’s recommendations for using purified fuel and filters for smoke reduction.
A statement from the Presidential Palace received by Pajhwok Afghan News said that President Ghani during a meeting with members of the Commission on Controlling Pollution on Saturday said, “We have a five-year program for dealing with pollution, but there is an urgent need for action right now to turn Kabul to a healthy environment for breathing,” the statement cited President Ghani as saying.
He said that the current air pollution level in Kabul was chocking and the situation needed to be changed immediately.
He tasked officials concerned to force the first grade polluting fuel users to use quality and purified fuel and install filters for prevention of smoke.
Owners of major townships, residential blocks, brick kilns, public bathrooms, wedding halls, factories and other commercials are main producers of pollution, he said.
Ghani said the government was responsible for implementation of any plans beneficial to the public, and government organs should avoid using substandard fuel.
He said the Presidential Palace was the first to use high quality fuel for prevention of air pollution in Kabul, saying government organs should use solar energy for heating and lighting, he added.
“Discussions with companies providing solar energy are underway and government departments will be turned green soon,” he added.
Ghani asked the traffic department of Kabul to take immediate action against vehicles producing pollution and the process should start from government vehicles.
A hotline should be activated in the Presidential Palace and the Ministry of Interior so people report if they see any corruption or negligence of government officers in implementation of the plan, he added.
At the end of the meeting, some specific committees were tasked to directly follow the plan and provide regular reports to the Presidential Palace and the public about the progress in the work.