24/7: Industrial effluents irk residents

Units are not observing environmental safety standards.

ISLAMABAD:

A major fault in the Master Plan for the capital city is allowing setting up of Industrial units adjacent to the residential Sectors of I-9 and I-10.

Many factories including steel melting units, re-rolling mills, flourmills, oil and ghee industries, marble cutting and polishing units, pharmaceutical firms and other engineering units are operating there.

Muhammad Faisal a resident of area said that these units were operating clearly disregarding the environmental safety.

Bakhtawar Ali another resident said that these units are producing metal dust, slag and gaseous emissions besides discharging untreated effluent in the drains.

A medical practitioner, Dr Asif said pollution from steel mills can cause nose, stomach and eye diseases besides leading to asthma, cancer and allergy.

An owner of a steel mill said it was not easy for us to shift units away from the residential area because it involved high cost including a rise in the transportation cost of their materials.

CDA member environment Dr Sheikh Sulaiman said that industry owners and Environmental Protection Agency could not reach an agreement as formers were demanding heavy compensation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2013.