Air pollution: Villagers want stone crushers in Haripur closed

Despite Supreme Court order, the practice continues unabated in Hazara division

HARIPUR: Villagers in Haripur have threatened to block the Khanpur-Taxila road if their demands for the closure of stone crushers operating nearby and immediate repair of Hattar Road are not met.

Led by councilors and local leaders, villagers staged a short protest here on Wednesday. Haji Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Sajid, Waheed Ahmed and others said that at least six stone crushers have been working near Suraj Gali village for the last few years and due to constant crushing, residents of nearby villages had to breathe heavy volumes of dust every day.

They said the dust has made life miserable for inhabitants by causing breathing and chest complications for many people, especially children and the elderly.

“Every fourth person in the village suffers from health issues related to dust inhalation. Just two days ago, a minor girl died due to respiratory problems,” claimed Waheed Ahmed, a village councilor, adding that villagers faced a double-barrel dust assault.

He said that apart from the stone crushers, the Suraj Gali-Hattar Road has been damaged owing to heavy traffic plying to and from these crushers. He added that these trucks add to the source of dust.

Sajid, another councilor, said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa mining and minerals department and district administration should take note that the Supreme Court had placed a ban on stone crushing and had ordered all such units across the country to be shut. However, despite the repeated applications, no action had been taken against the crushers.

They demanded early closure of stone crushing units and repairing of the Suraj Gali-Hattar Road. They threatened to protest and block the Khanpur-Taxila Road if their demands are not met.

The mineral development director was not available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1^st, 2016.