Industries located in urban areas of federal capital are causing environmental hazards to people by polluting air and water. Different industries including steel mills, marble factories, flour mills and other industries, situated in I-9 and I-10 sectors of Islamabad, pose a health hazard to residents of nearby areas as well as to the environment.
It is an irony that as per the Master Plan of Islamabad any industry causing pollution is banned, as the capital was designed to provide pollution-free environment. As many as 400 industrial plots are located in the two sectors adjacent to a residential area.
According to master plan, a buffer zone was provided between industrial area of I-9 and I-10 but unfortunately the buffer zone was converted into commercial area. Due to which, the industries creating pollution has become the central point surrounded by residential area.
The steel mills located in the two sectors are major source of air pollution in the capital. The construction of roads and other development work is also adding dust to the atmosphere, which is causing chest ailments like asthama and hay fever. Hundreds of trees have been chopped for carrying out development work and this poses environmental hazards.
Around eight furnace steel mills located in I-9 and I-10 are the main polluters by producing steel billets from scrap - a process which requires pressurised heat that results in heavy smoke. These eight steel furnaces emit more than one ton of particulate matter each day. Besides this four cement plants are also located in area and emit about 11000 tonnes of particulate matter per year, shedding fine raw cement dust across several kilometers.
The mills do not take any environment protection measures; which leads to the release of smoke and toxic particles into the atmosphere which depletes oxygen. Although all the eight furnace factories have installed scrubbers in the mills yet they are reluctant to operate them to avoid heavy electricity bills. The steel re-rolling mills were also adding to pollution but not to the extend as the furnace mills do.
"They do not operate treatment plants in the night to avoid bills", CDA official told Business Recorder. CDA Director Environment was of the view that the mills were adding to pollution. He said that the CDA has limited authority to take action against those who violate environmental laws. "We can only take action under CDA Municipal Bylaws and can impose minor fine of a few thousand rupees", the official added.
However, he disclosed, the Environment Protection Regulation for CDA was in process and after the approval of the new regulations the authority would be empowered to take punitive action against violators.
When contacted the officials of Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) said that the agency can impose more than Rs 1 million fines and can also order immediate closure of the mills polluting the environment.
They said the agency has issued notices to two steel mills in industrial area including Modern Steel and Pothohar Steel. Cases against all these three are being with Punjab Environment Tribunal, officials added. They said that the agency had taken action against four mills in the past and closed the mills until they installed scrubbers for treatment.
Officials further informed that Pak-EPA takes action against complaints of residents and stakeholders of the society to minimise environmental hazards. Pak-EPA in collaboration with the civic authority and Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry were taking action against polluters, he added.