The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the Ministry of Ports & Shipping, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) and others on a petition against petroleum coke’s handling at the Karachi port and its unsafe transportation in the city causing environmental risks.
Representing a non-governmental organisation, petitioner Dr Syed Raza Ali has challenged petcoke’s handling at the port and its transportation in the city, contending that despite the Supreme Court banning coal handling at the KPT, thousands of tonnes of it is still being handled, kept in open coal yard and transported in the city, causing serious health and environmental hazards.
The petitioner’s counsel Salahuddin Ahmed submitted that the KPT is allowing the import of petroleum coke at the Karachi port without complying with the relevant environmental laws. He said that as petcoke has the potential to cause harm to humans and the environment because it is not only inflammable but can also poses several direct and indirect risks to the health of people.
He added that petroleum coke particles cause serious and life-threatening respiratory diseases, as they enter human lungs through the air, and after penetrating them are very difficult to expel.
Citing the example of other countries, he said the handling and storage of petroleum coke in the US, India and other countries is either banned or regulated through strict preventive measures.
He said petcoke can cause a range of health problems, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, and most importantly, children are the most susceptible and are affected by the early onset of respiratory disease, which can prove fatal in the long term. He submitted that petroleum coke is being transported through heavy vehicles to other cities from the KPT and that such vehicles pass through densely populated areas of Karachi, including Clifton, Boat Basin, DHA and Quaidabad.
He said petcoke particles on berth and jetty flow into the water at the ports during washing or at the time of rain and cause marine pollution, which not only poisons the water but also destroys marine habitats. He added that the SC had also banned coal handling at the KPT, but in essence it includes petroleum coke because its unloading and transportation from the port has the same ramifications as that of coal.
He told the court that if petcoke’s import is allowed in future, it should only happen through the Port Qasim, which at least has specialised facilities for the import of coal. He also mentioned that Sepa has failed to implement its laws with regard to safe handling of petroleum coke.
He requested the court to declare petcoke’s handling at multipurpose berths and their storage at coal yard by the KPT as a permanent threat to the life of the citizens of Karachi, the environment, the port and marine life.
He also sought the declaration that petcoke’s handling, storage and transportation in open trucks is an environmental and health hazard, and requested that the court direct Sepa to take action against the KPT for importing and transporting it in violation of the watchdog’s relevant laws.
The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar issued notices to the KPT, the Ministry of Ports & Shipping and Sepa for January 29, directing the provincial law officer to ensure the appearance of an official of the watchdog in court in the next hearing.