Capital’s industry urged to adopt technology

EPA chief laments the absence of water filtration plants in the city

ISLAMABAD: The apex environmental watchdog of the country has promised to provide technical support and cooperation to the local industry as they seek to comply with environmental laws.

This was offered by the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Director General Farzana Altaf Shah while addressing the business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Tuesday.



Shah stressed that all factories which have been set up without having their Environment Management Plans approved should prepare such plans for due approval to promote the cause of Green Pakistan.

Moreover, she said that industries should strive to meet international standards and obtain ISO certification which would help them in achieving sustainable growth.

During the meeting, the EPA chief gave the business owners a detailed briefing on the EPA Act 2017. To control the wastage of water, Shah said that there was not even a single water treatment plant in the federal capital, and urged industries should install these plants. Moreover, she urged industries to also install solid waste management plants to protect the environment from its harmful consequences apart from producing useful by-products from it.

With local industries, like those the world over, facing the heat from Chinese competitors, she suggested that the businessmen upgrade the technology employed to achieve better growth.

She expressed concerns over the waste generated by the marble industry material and asked the ICCI to arrange a meeting with the relevant stakeholders so that they can sort out the issues.

The EPA chief lauded the efforts of the local steel industry for adopting environmental-friendly processes by using technology and stressed that other industries should follow the same approach to ensure a clean environment for the federal capital.

She said ICCI should play its role for creating the first green industrial zone in Islamabad and to make it a role model for the rest of the country. ICCI President Ahmed Hassan Moughal appreciated the role of Pak-EPA for cooperating with the local steel industry in improving compliance of environmental laws. He stressed that other industries needed the same kind of cooperation from EPA for compliance of environmental laws through a gradual approach.



He said controlling pollution was in the interest of industry for its sustainability and assured that ICCI would work with Pak-EPA to make production activities of local industry environment-friendly.

ICCI’s Senior Vice President Rafat Farid appreciated the positive approach of Pak-EPA towards the industry and said that teams would be formed to work with concerned industries for ensuring compliance of environmental laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2018.