KABUL - The Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan parliament, on Monday summoned the Kabul mayor and the deputy head of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) to a hearing over a recent surge in air pollution in Kabul city.
Despite recent snowfall, Kabul is still among the top 10 cities with the most polluted air, according to Air Visual, an international air quality monitoring organization.
NEPA officials have said that over 60 businesses, including 33 brickyards, were closed in the Arghani area in the west of Kabul on Sunday.
Despite these efforts, some MPs said that so far these efforts have been neither “practical” nor “effective.”
“Work on a plan that prevents pollution for many upcoming years,” demanded Khalid Assad, an MP.
“You ask the president to issue this decree. Pay attention to the people’s economic condition. People are living in bad conditions in Kabul,” MP Fatima Kohistani said.
The deputy head of NEPA, Ezatullah Sediqqi, said there is a need for action by all relevant organizations.
“Without the government, municipalities, parliament and civil societies aid--our good plan remains on our desks,” he said.
A number of lawmakers said they were not satisfied with the answers provided by the two government officials during the Monday session.
“You don’t have any solutions and you don’t have any plan,” MP Shahnaz Ghawsi said.
“All of us are responsible. Why didn’t the parliament raise this matter six months ago?” lawmaker Rahimullah Aliyar asked.
A recent figure by the Ministry of Public Health shows that at least 17 people were killed due to air pollution-related health issues in Kabul in the last week of December. (TOLO NEWS)