Stone crushing dust triggers lung complications

Labourers have been working without proper safety measures

SARGODHA: People and labourers living and working in areas of the stone-crushing industry are suffering from lung problems and other diseases due to the dust.

The residents of the area complained that stone crushing activity has continued without adopting safety measures and considering health hazards. They added that lives of locals have become miserable as a result of these circumstances.

The inhabitants continued that industry owners were ignoring prescribed instructions during stone crushing on the hills.

They added the industry is also violating the Punjab Environmental Protection Act, 1997, which was amended in 2012 due to dust emissions, noise pollution and lack of environmental protection measures.

A medical practitioner living in the area said at least water sprinkling should be conducted in the crushing area to minimise the impact of dust pollution. He said people should also use masks to avoid dust effects.

The stone-crushing plants have been established in areas including Pul-111, Chak No 113, 116, 119, 120, 126, 123, 124 and Shaheenabad.

Meanwhile, a mines and minerals department official said that all-out efforts are being made to keep the area clean. He added that stone crushing plant holders have also been issued instructions to follow environment protection laws to minimise dust pollution and other health hazards.

Earlier, workers of the stone crushing industry in Sargodha voiced concerns over the lack of safety measures in factories, claiming labourers were compelled to work under dangerous conditions without proper safety against the emission of silica dust.

A number of labourers working in the field expressed reservations over the industry owners’ failure to provide safety gear.

They also demanded authorities implement safety standards and urged the government to keep a check on the stone crushing industry owners. In July 2014, more than a dozen labourers died after being afflicted with ailments caused by silica dust emissions in Gujranwala. People from different organisations staged a massive protest demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club.

Representatives of Punjab Lok Sangat, Muttahaida Labour Federation, Awami Workers Union, Mazdoor Kisan Party and Pakistan Mazdoor Mahaz participated in the protest. They demanded action against all the people responsible due to who over a dozen stone crushing workers lost their lives.

Similarly, more than 100 laourers had died from silicosis in Dera Ghazi Khan and other regions of Punjab over the last few years. Reportedly, all of them were working in stone crushing factories.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2018.