Lahore: Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) on Wednesday took a decisive operation against tire-burning factories, also known as pyrolysis plants, within its jurisdiction in a significant move towards environmental preservation.

Following the directives of the Lahore High Court, RUDA, with its Environment Department and other pertinent administrative bodies, executed the operation to dismantle the pyrolysis plants which are one of the main causes of air pollution in the city.

During this operation, RUDA took resolute action against multiple tire-burning factories. Five pyrolysis plants were comprehensively dismantled and one fuel-making facility was promptly sealed to prevent further environmental degradation.

The operation was led by Director Ijaz Ahmed and Deputy Director Environment Nadia Tahir.

RUDA from time to time has warned the proprietors of these factories, emphasizing that any attempt to re-establish such hazardous facilities within RUDA's jurisdiction would result in immediate demolition as per the High Court's orders.

RUDA is following a comprehensive strategy to counter the menace of smog and address the issue of environmental degradation through number of initiatives which include placements of scrubbers, restrictions on unauthorized fuels in factories and other measures to adapt as best practice to handle the industrial waste.

Lahore: London’s Imperial College has recently unveiled a study on smoking titled  Tobacco’s global environment footprint, said the latest reports.

The study showed that that tobacco production in under-developed countries should be a cause of concern for policy makers.

Citing the study, Dr Aftab Madni, dean of the Indus University, says, “Almost 90% of all tobacco production is concentrated in the developing world”.

The study reveals that  out of the top 10 tobacco producing countries, 9 are developing which includes four low-income food deficit countries (LIFDCs). “Pakistan falls in  the category of LIFDCs,” he said.

He said that major point of concern is the fact that easy availability of cigarettes has become a cause health burden. Moreover, it’s has a deeper social implication for the poor household.

He further said that members of poor household   spend major chunk of their daily earnings on buying cigarettes leaving very little to spend on food and other essential items. He gave refrence of Capital Calling which has recently demanded that there is a need for the country to follow the WHO guidelines regarding tobacco taxation.

He said similarly PIDE, a government-run research institute, has reported that there are 24 million active smokers in the country. He said the institute has reviled that, “The total costs attributable to all smoking-related diseases and deaths in Pakistan for 2019 are Rs 615.07 billion ($3.85 billion), and the indirect costs (morbidity and mortality) make up 70 percent of the total cost. The total smoking-attributable costs are 1.6 percent of the GDP, whereas the smoking-attributable costs of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are 1.15 percent of the GDP.” He said that annually 337500 deaths are reported due to smoking.

He said these statistics are reason enough for the government to increase taxes on tobacco products. He also said that Pakistan has lost Rs 567 billion just to facilitate two Multinational Cigarette companies in last seven years.

Islamabad: Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday expressed Pakistan's desire to enhance cooperation with the UNDP in strengthening climate resilience, adaptation, and pursuing Sustainable Development Goals and socio-economic development.

He made these remarks during a meeting with Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Development Programme, Kanni Wignaraja in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The Foreign Minister appreciated the important work carried out by the UNDP since the catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022, focusing on the Sustainable Development Agenda and climate action. He emphasized that the UN system could play a critical role in supporting developing countries in achieving SDGs and addressing the climate agenda by galvanizing international solidarity and cooperation.

The Foreign Minister further said that assistance to countries most vulnerable to climate change would enable them to rebuild from natural disasters and adapt to increasingly frequent and severe climate impacts.

Assistant Secretary-General Wignaraja thanked the Government of Pakistan for its continued cooperation and support to the UNDP in implementing various projects in Pakistan. She also appreciated Pakistan’s active diplomatic engagement at the United Nations.