Islamabad: CDA plans environmental assessment of city

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Fazal Sher
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has planned to conduct strategic environment assessment (SEA) of the capital city after the approval of revised master plan, a senior official of CDA told Daily Times.

He said main objective of SEA was to study changes made in the revised mater plan and take necessary steps to reduce adverse effects of these changes on environment. SEA is meant to incorporate environmental considerations into the review process of policies, plans and programmes, said the official.

He said during SEA environmentalists would study the scope and nature of the likely environmental effects after changes in the master plan and to find ways and means to mitigate their adverse impact. SEA provides clear guidance on the implementation of the new plan and on the consideration and evaluation of environmental impacts, he said.

The official said Environment Directorate would start SEA after final touches to revised master plan by the CDA Planning Wing. The Authority has mostly completed the revision of master plan, he said, adding, in the revised plan the authority had mainly focused on future development needs of the city, including new housing sectors, extension of municipal limits of the city, establishment of another industrial zone and construction of new parks, he said.

He said in the new plan the Authority had proposed extension in the limits of Islamabad to the area adjacent to the motorway and to increase the numbering series of sectors from 16 to 18.

“Under the new plan, the Authority would set up another industrial zone in sector I-17 and like F-9 Park construct another big park in E-14,” he added.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg11_7