April 07, 2017
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President AKIA, Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Friday demanded of the government to thoroughly study the environmental impact on CPEC and initiate measures to handle it.
Proper planning is needed to get maximum benefit out of the game changing project of CPEC as slip-ups can inflict irreparable loss the economy, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that it is estimated that around 7000 large trucks will daily use the economic corridor producing 36.5 million tonnes of Carbon dioxide per annum which will be equalling to 25 percent of the total national emission of CO2.
The pollution will speed up melting of the glaciers while hitting environment, agriculture, tourism, water system and general health in the Gilgit-Baltistan which will result in disaster, he warned.
Melting glaciers will not only transform Gilgit-Baltistan into desert but will have a very negative impact on the whole agricultural and industrial system in the country, he added.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that a number of economic zones on CPEC and dozens of power plants would also add to the pollution which must be tackled in a satisfactory manner.
Economic corridor will generate millions of jobs including fifty thousand jobs for truck drivers in which people of Pakistan should get proper share.
He said that few families should not be allowed to benefit from the project, secrecy should be avoided, all stakeholders including chambers and trade association should be taken on board so that the expectation of masses should be fulfilled which will increased support of the masses for the project.
He said that increased transparency will augment support of the common people for the project will also bring Pakistan and China further closer and the unholy designs of the enemies of the project would be foiled.
