Audit Exposes Massive Financial and Administrative Irregularities in Pak-EPA
Nadeem Tanoli
Islamabad: A recent audit of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has uncovered serious financial mismanagement, administrative inefficiencies, and regulatory failures, raising concerns about the agency’s capacity to enforce environmental laws effectively.
The audit report revealed multiple violations of procurement rules, including the failure to prequalify vendors for procurements amounting to Rs. 4.032 million and the acceptance of bids worth Rs1.082 million in violation of prescribed regulations. Additionally, Pak-EPA’s failure to maintain vehicle logbooks has resulted in an unaccounted expenditure of Rs 6.149 million.
Regulatory Failures
The absence of key personnel, including Directors and Chemists for Air, Water, and Soil monitoring, has further weakened Pak-EPA’s enforcement capabilities.
The agency has not convened annual general meetings (AGMs) since its establishment in 2015, and only one board meeting was held in June 2015.
This inaction has left crucial environmental policies and funding decisions in limbo. The Clean Environment Fund, designed to support environmental initiatives, remains dormant due to management’s inaction.
Lack of Post-Monitoring
One of the most alarming findings of the audit was the absence of post-monitoring for projects granted environmental approvals. Developers who received Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approvals were not subjected to follow-up inspections.
Major projects, including Park Enclave Phase-III and the Naval Anchorage Housing Scheme, failed to submit regular compliance reports, and no post-monitoring visits were conducted. While management cited staff shortages as the reason, an Environmental Monitoring Team (EMT) was only constituted in September 2023.
Industrial Pollution Oversight Deficiencies
Pak-EPA has failed to classify industrial units based on pollution levels, severely compromising regulatory oversight. Many industrial units have not submitted mandatory environmental monitoring reports, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) still lacks a comprehensive environmental database. The agency has now planned to issue notices to enforce compliance.
Delays in Environmental Approvals
The audit identified severe delays in environmental approval processes. IEE approvals, which should be processed within 45 days, and EIA approvals, which have a 90-day deadline, have faced significant delays, some exceeding a year. Projects such as the Naval Anchorage Housing Scheme and Emirates Resorts Pvt. Limited experienced approval delays ranging from 150 to 420 days. Officials attributed these setbacks to incomplete submissions and staffing shortages, though corrective measures, including new hiring plans, have been promised.
Environmental Lab Dysfunction
Pak-EPA’s environmental laboratory is in a state of dysfunction, with major equipment for air and water analysis rendered inoperable due to budget constraints. Despite an allocation of Rs. 20 million for repairs in 2023, progress has been slow, hampering the agency’s capacity to conduct critical environmental testing.
Pak-EPA Fails Environmental Reporting
The agency has also failed to publish its annual National Environmental Report for 2021-22 and 2022-23, citing a lack of technical expertise, staff shortages, and financial constraints. These reports are essential for assessing environmental trends and policy effectiveness. Pak-EPA has now committed to resuming publications from 2023 onward.
Pak-EPA Fails Waste Oversight
Another critical shortfall is Pak-EPA’s failure to obtain environmental undertakings from project proponents and establish key regulatory bodies, such as the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council and the Hospital Waste Management Advisory Committee. The lack of a monitoring mechanism has resulted in no supervisory visits to hospitals, laboratories, and diagnostic centers handling hazardous waste.
The audit further revealed that several environmental laboratories had failed to renew their certifications, significantly undermining the credibility of environmental assessments conducted by these facilities.
The audit findings paint a bleak picture of regulatory inaction and administrative negligence within Pak-EPA, raising serious doubts about its ability to fulfill its mandate. While management has pledged to address some of these shortcomings through new initiatives and staff appointments, systemic inefficiencies continue to hinder effective environmental governance in Pakistan.
The report was published in the Minit Mirror, a newspaper based in Islamabad, and has been reproduced by PenPK.com.
