Industrialists concerned by coal transshipment project at Port Qasim

Raise doubts during public hearing, environmental agency promises to address worries

KARACHI: Concerned by development coming at the cost of potentially massive environmental damage, the Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) urged the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to address the concerns of hundreds of industries located in the Port Qasim Industrial Area before giving the go-ahead to the coal transshipment project.

The coal jetty, which envisages transporting thousands of tons of coal from Port Qasim to the coal-fired power plant in Sahiwal, is surrounded by hundreds of industries including pharmaceutical, edible oil, food and a water filtration plant among others. The project has recently come under the scanner with a public hearing held Thursday to bring stakeholders together and address issues as it moves forward.



Concerns hovered around the environmental impact it may have on surrounding industries.

However, given the importance of the project - which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor - in meeting the country’s energy needs, industrialists are urging the government to find a “middle ground”.

“We do not want the government to shelve the coal jetty project because of its economic importance. What we want is either our concerns be heard or the project be shifted somewhere else,” founder President BQATI Mian Muhammad Ahmed told The Express Tribune.

He said this at the sidelines of the public hearing held to review the report submitted to SEPA on the environmental impact assessment of the proposed coal transshipment project at berth number 3 and 4 of Port Qasim. The imported coal would be transported to Punjab for two coal-fired power plants with a capacity of 660MW each.

Representatives of industries said the import, handling and dispersion of coal particles in close proximity to sensitive industries would affect the quality of their products. They fear that the project completion would encourage more investors to invest in coal jetties at Port Qasim, resulting in eventual closure of all factories in the industrial area.

The hearing was attended by a large number of people  including representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesses, environmentalists and social activists.

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Industrialists who attended the meeting were of the view that the new coal import facility would help promote industrialisation in the country, but will also result in the closure of many factories in the Port Qasim Industrial Area.

“The dispersion of coal particles would badly damage our export-oriented products. The quality-conscious importers would stop buying our products when they find presence of tiny coal particles in them,” a concerned industrialist commented.

Given Pakistan’s falling exports, the industrialist added, this was a development the country could ill-afford.

Meanwhile, SEPA Director General Naeem Ahmed Mughal, who presided over the meeting, commented that he would ensure that the project meets all environmental requirements.

“We will address all your grievances,” he said, addressing all participants. “We want economic development but not at the cost of the environment,” said Mughal.

He acknowledged the fact the SEPA has a shortage of workforce to monitor all projects that it approves, but he said his office is doing everything to ensure the coal jetty meets all pre-requisites during and after its construction.

Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Director General (Technical) Shabbir Anwar Qazi said the new coal handling facility would be better than the current facilities. Moreover, he said, the concerns of nearby industries would also be taken care of to make the project successful. Replying to a question, Qazi said the current coal handling facilities at Port Qasim are not enough to handle such a huge coal import.

The Sahiwal project needs 12,000 tons of coal a day to meet its energy requirements.

Environmentalists, however, were of the view that while the world moves away from coal, Pakistan - despite attending the Paris climate summit - is making its way towards the fuel. They said that the project should not be implemented unless authorities ensure proper implementation of environmental laws during and after the construction of the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2016.

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