CM calls for census of industrial units operational across city

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday directed the Industries Department to conduct a census of all industrial units working in the city so as to ensure implementation of environmental laws. The directives were issued by the CM while presiding over a meeting regarding installation of effluent treatment plants in Karachi and Kotri.

A budget of approximately Rs63.8 million was also approved by him for the completion of the Kotri Combined Effluent Treatment Plant.  The meeting was attended by Minister Planning and Development Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Minister Environment Mohammad Ali Malkani, Chairman Planning and Development Mohammad Waseem, Advocate General Sindh Zameer Ghumro, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Secretary Industries Abdul Raheem Soomro and others.

Murad asked the concerned industries and environmental protection departments to work in tandem to make sure treatment plants are installed at all industrial units. “This is a serious issue and must be taken seriously,” Murad said while asking officials to submit fortnightly reports to him over the matter.

Briefing the chief minister regarding the Kotri CETP, the secretary industries said the installation of the project was taken over by SITE Ltd from the contractor on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The administration is now carrying out the remaining work to make it functional, said Soomro. He told Murad that all the tanks had been de-silted. As far as implementation of the apex court’s other directives regarding environmental protection was concerned, Soomro said that around 1,700 notices and subsequent reminders had so far been issued to various industries. “Around 50 units responded to the notices; those who failed to respond will be dealt with strictly,” he claimed.

The secretary informed the CM that the proposal to install five CETPs in the metropolis at a cost of Rs11.3 million was also under process. With a capacity to discharge at least 19 MGD of waste, at a cost of Rs2.2 million, 25-acre land was made available for the SITE area. On the other hand, 35 acres of land were allocated for the Trans-Lyari CETP that has a discharge capacity of 27 MGD; the project would cost Rs3.7 million.

The effluent treatment plant covering the FB Area and North Karachi industrial zones has a 12 MGD discharge capacity and 7 acres of land have been made available for it; the cost of installing the plant has been estimated to be Rs1.6 million.

Furthermore, the CM was told that a treatment plant with a discharge capacity of 26 MDG of waste would be established for Landhi and Korangi. Spanning over 35 acres, the project would cost around Rs3.3 million.

The Highway and SITE Phase-2 treatment plant will be constructed at a cost of Rs627 million over an area of 10.45 acres; it would discharge 10 MGD of industrial waste. Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem informed the CM that besides putting an end to indiscriminate discharge of polluted waste, the five CETPs would also assist the government in implementing its policies to curb environmental pollution and promote cost effective pollution treatment for industrial units.

The Sindh Environment Protection Agency has so far issued 37 reports on water quality and that action has been initiated on the basis of those reports, reported Minister Malkani. Murad ordered release of Rs100 million for the 10 district offices of Sepa, to establish which the minister had stated that funds were required.

Inquiring after complaints of dust emission in city’s industrial areas, Minister Malkani informed Murad that some 62 notices were issued to crushing units and action was being taken. He added that Sepa recovered Rs2.2 million in penalties from 11 different industrial units for violation of rules.

As per secretary environment, Baqaullah Unar, 25 cases were brought before the Sindh Environmental Tribunal; 35 industrial units were told to establish in-house waste water treatment plants and prepare environmental management plans (EMP). He further stated that 127 notices were issued to hospitals and industries, of them 100 were issued for personal hearings.