KABUL (PAN): The National Environment Protection Agency of Afghanistan on Tuesday said it had so far burnt more than 178 tonnes of sub-standard gases to protect the ozone layer.
Carbon tetra chloride, chlorofluorocarbon and methyl bromide are the gases that damage the ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas that protects the earth from the harmful portion of sun rays and helps preserve life on the planet.
NEPA official Javed Saboori told a gathering marking the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer they had taken steps for the protection of the layer since the agency signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 2004.
They had trained 650 employees of customs department, destroyed 178 tonnes of dangerous gases and banned the import of such substances, he said. Ozone-damaging gases were not produced in Afghanistan, he added.
If the production of such gases was not prevented, the ozone layer would be destroyed, threatening life on the earth, he explained. More than 200,000 people are suffering globally from skin cancer.
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