Industrial units warned to clean up within timeline or face action

PESHAWAR: Secretary Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtu­nkhwa, Shahidullah, has warned owners of the Chipboard Units Association to implement within timeline the pollution control measures as no tolerance shall be granted later.

A press release said in a meeting held under secretary with the EPA officials, industry representative and expert team members from the civil society stated that the implementation of environmental law was a government responsibility and Revised National Envir­o­nm­ental Quality Standards (NEQS) were applicable to all the industries in Pakistan under the direction of the prime minister.

Earlier an expert team comprising Dr Shafique-ur-Rahman and Dr Faisal Khan from Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN), Dr Asif Khan UET, Peshawar visited the chipboard units led by Muhammad Irshad, chief analyst, EPA. He submitted, mutually agreed upon mitigation measures for improvement of the chipboards and compliance with the NEQS within a timeline.

Syed Aftab Hayat, representative of All Pakistan Chipboard Association stated that the Chipboard Owners Association was trying to find out the best possible solution to hazardous emissions as recommended by the expert committee and requested a relaxation of timeline.

The EPA director-general stated that all the chipboard units had neither obtained Construction Environmental Approval nor Operational Approval from the EPA and were operating illegally. He said all these units were close to residential areas and posed a serious health hazard. The EPA chief analyst said that under government directions, sealing orders earlier issued against 10 steel furnaces while seven were sealed by the district administration. Remaining three were granted time for the installation of the pollution control system.

Only one out of seven had the pollution control system. Furthermore, EPA chief had issued notices to all the chipboard units and steel mills, grinding units/crush plants according to the Section 13 and 11 of KP EPA, 2014.

Rehan Afridi, representative of the Fata Steel Mills Association stated that presently out of the 36 steel units, six steel mills were working on the installation of the remaining units shall need another two months.

The Transport Department has also been directed to enforce mitigation measures for smoke emitting public and private transport especially school buses and vans posing a huge hazard to public health.