The government will launch a pilot project on the public-private partnership basis for improving the public transport system of Karachi in June this year. The Senate Standing Committee on the Environment was informed on Thursday that the project would focus on plying CNG buses in the provincial metropolis. Expressing its deep concern over the increasing levels of environmental pollution, particularly vehicular emissions in major cities, the committee, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Mohammad Ali Brohi, called for urgent steps for a cleaner and healthier environment to ensure a better future for the coming generations. It urged stricter implementation of the existing environmental laws and enactment of fresh ones where needed to keep the environment clean. The committee took special notice of growing industrial and vehicular pollution, which is not only threatening the environment but also badly affecting rivers and streams. "Industrial concerns are directly discharging their pollutants and effluent into our rivers, including the Indus, which is like a lifeline and runs through nearly the whole of the country before finally joining the Arabian Sea. "We need to embark upon measures to ensure that our water resources and reservoirs remain fresh and clean, otherwise our very survival would be at stake,' observed the committee. The committee also recommended that the CNG buses and metro projects for big cities