Court seeks environment report on Losar landfill site

Justice Jawad Hassan of the Lahore High Court (LHC)’s Rawalpindi Bench on Tuesday issued notice to the Punjab Environmental Protection Department (EPD), seeking a detailed environmental impact report next week over the allotment of 1,200 acres of garbage dumping ground in the Losar suburb of Rawalpindi district.

The court was hearing 10 petitions which also challenged the allotment of another 1,200 acres of land adjacent to the dumping ground to deposit the waste collected from the federal capital territory.

The court sought details of the effects of environmental pollution in the area and the impact on the underground water in the vicinity of the dumping ground.

The court observed that it was a human rights issue and that it would only issue a comprehensive order after a detailed review of the situation.

It also extended for an indefinite period the stay order on building a new dumping ground for Islamabad and the acquisition of 1,200 acres of land for it.

The petitions contend that the garbage from the entire district of Islamabad cannot be dumped in another district, Rawalpindi.

Over a year ago, a court declared the waste dumping ground spread in Losar as illegal and ordered to shift it from there.