Gujar Khan kilns spew toxic smoke

EPCCD fails to ensure full implementation of zig-zag technology in Rawalpindi district

RAWALPINDI:

The Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department (EPCCD), Rawalpindi, in coordination with the district administration, has failed to ensure the installation of environmentally friendly zig-zag technology at brick kilns across the district.

There are approximately 250 small and large brick kilns operating throughout the Rawalpindi district. In the outskirts of Rawalpindi — particularly in the Mandrah and Rawat areas — around 85 to 90 per cent of kilns have adopted the eco-friendly zig-zag technology.

However, in Gujar Khan, the district's largest tehsil and the biggest brick-producing market, nearly 95 per cent of kilns continue to operate under the outdated system, emitting highly toxic black smoke and significantly deteriorating the district's air quality index.

The Gujar Khan brick kiln market comprises around 37 large, industrial-scale kilns. Of these, only seven have installed zig-zag technology, while the remainder continue to operate using the hazardous traditional method.

These kilns, allegedly with the connivance of tehsil administration officials and the relevant inspector of the Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department, run round the clock in double shifts. Despite producing the largest volume of bricks in the district, they have merely been issued notices to install zig-zag technology, with no effective enforcement.

Representatives of the Gujar Khan brick kiln owners' association maintain that zig-zag technology is prohibitively expensive and cannot be afforded by every kiln owner.

They have demanded that the government either provide soft loans on easy terms or install the new technology itself and recover the cost in instalments.

The association also confirmed that those responsible for allowing kilns to operate day and night without zig-zag technology are "kept satisfied", implying collusion.

Residents of Gujar Khan, Fateh Jang and Attock, including Haji Sohail and Asghar Qureshi, have urged the Rawalpindi Commissioner and the Deputy Director of the Environment Department to ensure 100 per cent installation of zig-zag technology at all kilns. They warned that the poisonous black smoke is causing a surge in diseases in these areas.

They further demanded a comprehensive inspection and monitoring of all brick kilns in Gujar Khan by the Deputy Director of Environment and the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, the President of the District Bar Association said that under the new Environmental Protection Act, all small and large brick kilns are legally bound to install zig-zag technology.