Under a well-knitted plan effluent plants would be installed in five major industrial towns for combating environmental degradation in the country. Official sources told Business Recorder on Friday here that the proposed affluent plants would be installed at Sialkot, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Karachi to avert pollution threats caused by the industries and tanneries in these major cities of the country.
The federal government would initiate this programme in collaboration with provincial governments and private sector of these cities to cope with the growing pollution threats caused by the tanneries in these cities.
In Sialkot, work on Industrial for Tanneries Zone project would be executed shortly where government and private sector on partnership basis would install combined effluent plant jointly. The Punjab government had already released necessary funds amounting Rs 90 million for the establishment of Tanneries Zone in the area. The Sialkot Industrial Zone for Tanneries would be developed on 300 acres and tanneries functioning in and around Sialkot would be shifted in this proposed zone under a specific formula, which ultimately help reduce pollution.
The government was endeavouring for providing pollution-free environment to the industrial sector to cope with new global standards. The zone would be fully equipped with common treatment plant for controlling effluent and solid waste of tanneries.
Currently in Sialkot, as many as 248 tanneries of different sizes are functioning in and close to Sialkot of which nine large, 79 medium and 160 small tanneries are functioning in the area. The government has taken the step to cope with the pollution threats caused by the ill-planned establishment of tanneries in and close to Sialkot are posing serious threats to human life and gradually degrading the environmental conditions.
Over 90 million-meter leather is annually manufactured and consumption of chemicals annually being used 65,000 tones for leather processing. The tanneries are using 40,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals of which 9,600 tonnes only being used in Sialkot tanneries.
The present regime had focused its attention on coping with the constant threats of industrial pollution in the Punjab. These measures had been adapted to enabling the business community to fulfil the demands and requirements of World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime, which is fast approaching.
The regular functioning of industrial zone for tanneries would not help in reducing pollution load in tanneries cluster area but also improve the degraded environmental condition caused by the tanneries.
Apart from this inhabitants living in tanneries cluster area would be benefited directly as well as help protect agricultural land, sub-soil water from contamination and save the marine life. The leather and leather-based industries are the key export-oriented sector fetching more than US 600 million dollars annually. The Sialkot based leather industry had gained momentum in the past couple of decades and more than 500 leather and leather products manufacturing units are working in and around Sialkot.