Sepa complains of police not supporting action against polluting industrial units

The provincial police force has not been extending support to officials of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) in the agency’s actions against the industrial units and factories that are causing environmental pollution or violating the provincial environmental laws.

The complaint to this effect was made by officials of Sepa on Thursday as they attended a meeting with Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Environment and Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab in chair to review the ongoing drive against polythene shopping bags and other practices that cause harm to the environment.

In view of the complaint of the Sepa officials, the environment adviser telephoned the additional inspector general of the Karachi police and directed him to tell the police to cooperate with the Sepa officials in their drive against the unlawful practices of industrial units causing environmental pollution.

Wahab also asked the Sepa officials to speed up their action against the factories producing polythene bags made of non-biodegradable plastic. Similar action should also be taken against sellers of shopping bags made of unauthorised plastic, he said.

The participants of the meeting were reminded that the Sindh government on October 1, 2019, had already placed a ban on the use of polythene shopping bags made of non-biodegradable plastic.

The meeting also decided to import machinery to extract oil from the successful plantation of oil palm trees carried out by the provincial government at the Kathore forest in Thatta district.

Wahab said the plantation of oil palm trees would help save precious foreign currency reserves of the country as Pakistan’s imports of palm oil would be reduced.