Sepa summons CEOs of KE, two cement firms over ‘environmental law violations’

The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) on Tuesday summoned the K-Electric (KE) chief executive officer (CEO) to hear him in person regarding the power utility’s alleged non-compliance with the environmental standards in its operational activities, officials said.

According to a statement issued by the provincial environmental watchdog, the KE CEO has been summoned by Sepa Director General (DG) Naeem Ahmed Mughal. Sepa has also summoned the CEOs of two cement firms, Lucky Cement and Dewan Cement, to appear before the DG and explain their position on the charges of causing environmental pollution.

The statement read that the agency has expedited its monitoring activities to contain different types of pollution in Sindh on the directives of the adviser to the Sindh chief minister on law, environment and coastal development, Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

In the notices that were separately issued to the three companies, Sepa said its monitoring team had directly observed that a huge amount of soot and visible emissions were being released by their plants and adversely affecting environment of the surrounding areas.

“It was also observed by the Sepa team that with regard to the handling of waste material and air emissions in the operational activities of their plants, insufficient measures for mitigating the pollution load were being taken which confirms their violation of Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014 (SEP Act 2014) and its Rules and Regulations made there-under,” read the notices.

It was also explained in one of the subject notices that if Sepa found an activity violating any provision of the SEP Act 2014 and its subsidiary rules and regulations, an opportunity of personal hearing was offered to such violator before furthering a legal action.

The heads of the three companies have been directed to appear in person before the Sepa DG on October 21 at different times to explain their position regarding their compliance with the environmental law. They have also been directed to bring a copy of the environmental approval by Sepa — if any — which was issued previously to them related to their operational activities along with the report of compliance conditions, imposed in the referred approval.

The notices also mentioned that in case of failure to appear on the stipulated date and time, legal action shall be initiated against the companies as per the environmental law.