Frequently Asked Questions | Environment Protection Department

What is the adverse environmental effect?
What is environment?
What is pollution?
What is sustainable development?
What is noise?
What is waste?
What is hospital waste?
What is municipal waste?
What is agricultural waste?
What is ecosystem?
What is biodiversity?
What is effluent?
What is an emission standard?
What is hazardous substance?
What is an industrial activity?
What is Environmental Protection Order?
What are the projects requiring Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)?
What are the projects requiring Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?

What is the adverse environmental effect?	Top
According to Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, the adverse environmental effect is: Impairment of, or damage to, human health and safety or to biodiversity or property Pollution Any other adversity to environment as may be specified in the regulations

What is environment?	Top
Environment means: Air, water and land All layers of the atmosphere All organic and inorganic matter and living organisms The ecosystems and ecological relationships Buildings, structures, roads, facilities and works All social and economic condition affecting community life The inter-relationship of any of the above mentioned factors

What is pollution?	Top
Pollution means the contamination of air, land or water by the discharge or emission of effluent or wastes or air pollutants or noise or other matter which either directly or indirectly or in combination with other discharges or substances alters unfavorably the chemical, physical, biological, radiation, thermal or radiological or aesthetic properties of the air, land or water or which may, or is likely to make the air, land or water unclean, noxious or impure or injurious, disagreeable or detrimental to the health, safety, welfare or property of persons or harmful to biodiversity.

What is sustainable development?	Top
Sustainable development means development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

What is noise?	Top
Noise means the intensity, duration and character of sounds from all sources, and includes vibration.

What is waste?	Top
Waste means any substance or object which has been, is being or is intended to be, discarded or disposed of, and includes liquid waste, solid waste, waste gases, suspended waste, industrial waste, agricultural waste, nuclear waste, municipal waste, hospital waste, used polyethylene bags and residues from the incineration of all types of waste.

What is hospital waste?	Top
Hospital waste means waste which is or which contains a hazardous substance or which may be prescribed as hazardous waste.

What is municipal waste?	Top
Municipal waste includes sewage, refuse, garbage, waste from abattoirs, sludge and human excreta and the likes.

What is agricultural waste?	Top
Agricultural waste means waste from farm and agricultural activities including poultry, cattle arming, animal husbandry residues from the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other farm chemicals.

What is ecosystem?	Top
Ecosystem means a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.

What is biodiversity?	Top
Biodiversity or biological diversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources, including inter alia terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part, including diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

What is effluent?	Top
Effluent means any material in solid, liquid or gaseous form or combination thereof being discharged from industrial activity or any other source and includes a slurry, suspension or vapor.

What is an emission standard?	Top
Emission standard means the permissible standards established by the federal agency or a provincial agency for emission of air pollutants and noise and for discharge of effluent and waste.

What is hazardous substance?	Top
Hazardous substance means a substance or mixture of substances, other than a pesticide as defined in the Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance, 1971 (ii of 1971), which, by reason of its chemical activity or toxic, explosive, flammable, corrosive, radioactive or other characteristics, causes, or is likely to cause, directly or in combination with other matters an adverse environmental effect, and any substance which may be prescribed as a hazardous substance.

What is an industrial activity?	Top
Industrial activity means any operation or process for manufacturing, making, formulating, synthesizing, altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing, packing or otherwise treating any article or substance with a view to its use, sale transport, delivery or disposal, or for mining, for oil and gas exploration and development, or for pumping water or sewage, or for generating, transforming or transmitting power or for any other industrial or commercial purpose.

What is Environmental Protection Order?	Top
Environmental Protection Order (EPO) is issued when the federal agency or a provincial agency determines that the discharge or emission of any effluent, waste, air pollutant or noise, or the disposal of waste, or the handling of hazardous substances, or any other act or omission is likely to occur, or is occurring, or has occurred, in violation of the provisions of this act, rules or regulations or of the conditions of a license, and is likely to cause, or is causing or has caused an adverse environmental effect, the federal agency or, as the case may be, the provincial agency may, after giving the person responsible for such discharge, emission, disposal, handling, act or omission an opportunity of being heard, by order direct such person to take such measures that the federal agency or provincial agency may consider necessary within such period as may be specified in the order.

What are the projects requiring Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)?	Top
The projects requiring Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) are listed below: Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Poultry, livestock, stud and fish farms with total cost more than Rs. 10 million Projects involving repacking, formulation or warehousing of agricultural products Energy Hydroelectric power generation less than 50 MW Thermal power generation less than 200 KW Transmission lines less than 11 KV, and large distribution projects Oil and gas transmission system Oil and gas extraction projects including exploration production gathering systems separation and storage Waste-to-energy generation project Manufacturing and Processing Ceramics and glass units with total cost more than Rs. 50 million Food processing industries including sugar mills, beverages, milk, and dairy products, with total cost less than Rs. 100 million Man-made fibers and resin projects with total cost less than Rs. 100 million Manufacturing of apparel, including dyeing and printing, with total cost more than Rs. 25 million Wood products with total cost more than Rs. 25 million Mining and Mineral Processing Commercial extraction of sand, gravel, limestone, clay, sulphur, and other minerals not included in Schedule II with total cost less than Rs. 100 million Crushing, grinding and separation processes Smelting plants with total cost less than Rs. 50 million Transport Federal or Provincial highways (except maintenance, rebuilding or reconstruction of existing metaled roads) with total cost less than Rs. 50 million Ports and harbor development for ships less than 500 gross ton Water Management, Dams, Irrigation and Flood Protection Dams and reservoirs with storage volume less than 50 million cubic meters of surface area less than 8 square kilometers Irrigation and drainage projects serving less than 15,000 hectares Small-scale irrigation systems with total cost less than Rs. 50 million Water Supply and Treatment Water supply schemes and treatment plants with total cost less than Rs. 25 million Waste Disposal Waste disposal facility for domestic or industrial wastes, with annual capacity less than 10,000 cubic meters Urban Development and Tourism Housing Schemes Public facilities with significant off-site impacts (e.g. hospital wastes) Urban Development Projects Other Projects Any other project for which filling of IEE is required by the federal agency under sub-regulation (2) of Regulation (5)

What are the projects requiring Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?	Top
The projects requiring Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are listed under: Energy Hydroelectric power generation over 50 MW Thermal power generation over 200 KW Transmission lines (11 KV and above) and grid stations Nuclear power plants Petroleum refiners Manufacturing and Processing Cement plants Chemicals projects Fertilizer plants Food processing industries including sugar mills, beverages, milk, and dairy products, with total cost of Rs. 100 million and above Industrial estates (including export processing zones) Man-made fibers and resin projects with total cost of Rs. 100 million and above Pesticides (manufacturing or formulation) Petrochemicals complex Synthetic resins, plastics and man-made paper fibers, paper and paper board, paper pulping, plastic products, textiles (except apparel), printing and publishing, paints and dyes, oils and fats and vegetable ghee projects, with total cost more than Rs. 10 million Tanning and leather finishing projects Mining and mineral processing Mining and processing of coal, gold, copper, sulphur and precious stones Mining and processing of major non-ferrous metals, iron and steel rolling Smelting plants with total cost of Rs. 50 million and above Transport Airports Federal or Provincial highways or major roads (except maintenance, rebuilding or reconstruction of existing roads) with total cost of Rs. 50 million and above Ports and harbor development for ships of 500 gross tons and above Railway works Water management, dams, irrigation and flood protection Dams and reservoirs with storage volume of 50 million cubic meter and above or surface area of 8 square kilometers and above Irrigation and drainage projects serving 15,000 hectares and above Water supply and treatment Water supply schemes and treatment plants with total cost of Rs. 2.5 million and above Waste disposal Waste disposal and/or storage of hazardous or toxics wastes (including landfill sites, incineration of hospital toxic waste) Waste disposal facilities for domestic or industrial wastes, with annual capacity more than 10,000 cubic meters Urban Development and Tourism Land use studies and urban plans (large cities) Large-scale tourism development projects with total cost more than Rs. 50 million Environmentally Sensitive Areas All projects situated in environmentally sensitive areas Other Projects Any other project for which filling of an EIA is required by the federal agency under sub-regulation (2) of Regulation 5 Any other project likely to cause an adverse environmental effect