Textile mill in SITE sealed for using coal-fired power plant

Sepa says textile mill’s power plant was producing

heavy smoke and poisonous gases

The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency sealed a textile mill in SITE Industrial Area on Friday for causing air pollution as it was using a coal-fired power plant to generate its own electricity without environmental watchdog’s permission.

A Sepa official said the owners of two factories adjacent to the Liberty Mills had complained to the environmental watchdog that the textile mill was using a coal-fired power plant that was producing heavy smoke and poisonous gases.

“If proper measures are not taken, a coal-fired power plant produces deadly gases including sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, ash and other hazardous material which can be deadly for the people living in its vicinity,” he told The News.

Sepa wrote to the management of the Liberty Mills as to why it had not acquired permission before installing the coal-fired power plant. Then it sent a team to examine the plant but it was not allowed to enter the premises by the mill’s administration.

“Using air quality checking equipment, the visiting Sepa team found that smoke and particles from the textile factory were polluting the environment and making the air poisonous,” the official said.

On the report of its inspection team, Sepa issued an Environmental Protection Order to the administration of the Liberty Mills and asked the management to appear for a personal hearing and justify if its action was as per law.

However, the mill’s administration replied that it was not creating any environmental pollution but provided no evidence or supportive material in this connection.

Earlier this month, the environmental watchdog had issued another EPO to the Liberty Mills’ administration, asking it to immediately close down its power production through coal.

On Friday, a Sepa team led by deputy director Waris Gabol with the help of police sealed Liberty Mills. “Unless proper measures are taken to ensure environmental protection, the textile mill will not be allowed to function,” the official said.

He added that Sepa had also expedited action against factories, institutions, and hospitals creating environmental pollution and recently shut down several factories in Hyderabad.

The Liberty Mills Limited is one of the largest textile processing units in Pakistan with a production capacity of 500,000 square metres of fabric per day.