Sepa tells Port Qasim Authority to halt unregulated coal handling, storage

Currently being carried out through a highly unregulated system, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) asked the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) to suspend all coal handling and storage operations of the coal transshipment project proposed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), at the port.

Sepa Director General Naeem Ahmed Mughal while addressing a public hearing, on Thursday, termed the activity illegal and a serious cause of environmental degradation. “Stop all activities being carried out without any environmental assessment with immediate effect,” he asserted.

The hearing was held on an environmental impact assessment report submitted to Sepa with respect to the proposed coal transhipment project – a coal specific jetty - being built at berths three and four of the port.

The shipped coal would be sent, through railways, to the 2x660 MWs coal-fired power plants at Sahiwal.

Concerned industrialists, businessmen, environmentalists, and social activists who attended the hearing expressed serious reservations over the plan to build a new coal handling facility at the port amid a number of coal-based projects already being built in the port area.

The participants expressed concern over the existing import and industrial operations related to oil, food, pharmaceutical, automotive and other industries at Port Qasim getting adversely affected by degradation of the port’s environment due to bulk import, storage, and shipment of coal.

Members of the Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) dismissed the need to build a new jetty to handle imported coal in huge quantity - up to 8 million tonnes - when an idle jetty of the Pakistan Steel Mills was present in the same area.

Previously being told to stop these activities at the Karachi Port Trust by Sepa and the judiciary, local coal importers and handlers were now making use of the Port Qasim, Mughal observed.

The Sepa chief said he had in a recent visit to Port Qasim personally seen the unregulated activities being carried out with impunity.

The PQA was asked to conduct a cumulative EIA of the entire port, its surrounding areas to determine the level of change in environment and ecology of the port, industrial, and coastal areas in view of the various coal-based projects being simultaneously run at Port Qasim, by the Sepa chief.

The participants were assured by Mughal that all environmental laws and regulations would be duly implemented along with their provisions, whereas penalties for violation of laws would also be imposed.

He, however, stated that no government authority could impose the harsh decision of banning altogether the import of coal because of environmental concerns since it would affect a number of industrial operations.

The DG stated that he had witnessed shipment projects of coal imports at a number of ports in developed countries wherein several instances the jetties were constructed in the middle of residential areas.

But, he said, the protective measures taken for handling and storage of the mineral were so sound that residents did not get affected.

Regarding the proposed coal transhipment project, he said none of the reports or documents related to the upcoming project provided any details regarding employment, the project’s estimated cost or alternate plan to relocate small businesses that would get affected due to the project.

Addressing concerns of the industrialists, the Sepa chief said he would ensure that the project progressed only after meaningful consultation with all concerned stakeholders were held.

PQA Director General (Technical), Shabbir Anwar Qazi, said the port would build a coal-specific terminal by next year to protect import operations of other essential commodities.

He said the PQA had taken into account all regular industrial, import, and shipment activities at the Port Qasim and surrounding areas, and that permission for new coal-based projects was granted to fulfil energy requirements of the country.

BQATI president, Mian Muhammad Ahmed, and Amin Ali Dawood, another office-bearer of the concerned trade association, said considering the expedition in conceiving and implementing fresh coal-based projects at Port Qasim, the BQATI would ultimately be asked to shut their industries down as foreign importers would develop concerns over the level of environmental degradation at the industrial units.

Ather Ali Khan Durrani, of the Landhi Association of Trade and Industry (LATI), stressed on the new coal transhipment project ensuring provision of water treatment facility for protection of marine and plant ecology of the coastal area.

Roland deSouza, associated with NGO Shehri-Citizens for Better Environment, said Sepa had absolutely no qualified manpower in the requisite number to monitor implementation of due mitigation measures by proponents of major development projects in the city.

Citing the manner in which the Green Line project of the Bus Rapid Transit Service was being constructed, deSouza observed that Sepa had shown that no care was being invested in safeguarding the environment.

National Forum of Environment and Health’s Naeem Qureshi said the new coal handling project should not be implemented till the time clear-cut mechanisms were put in place for proper
monitoring and safeguarding of environment; the concerned business and industrial stakeholders were also urged to be taken into confidence.