Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has initiated actions against all alleged violators and filed cases in Environmental Protection Tribunal (EPT) against three steel units, found causing air pollution in Islamabad.
There is no steel mills and brick kiln located in residential area of Islamabad, however, it is a fact that steel mills located in Islamabad industrial area and brick kilns located in Peri-urban area of Islamabad, do cause environmental pollution.
Official sources at Ministry of Climate Change on Sunday said steps have been taken by Pak-EPA to control the said pollution.
The sources said there are nine steel furnaces which were causing pollution in Sector I-9/I-10 and Pak-EPA served notices to all the above steel industries, directing them to control their pollution and bring them to the levels prescribed in National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), established under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997.
Moreover, on the direction of Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Steel industries were asked to install anti-pollution devices and in compliance, steel industries have got installed anti-pollution devices.
But steel industry in some cases are not complying the directions and Pak-EPA has initiated actions against alleged violators.
The government has closed down 45 brick kilns, out of 82, operating in surrounding areas of the twin cities as they are hazardous for environment and health.
Pak-EPA) was regularly monitoring other 37 brick kilns keeping in view all environmental and health aspects, official sources in the Ministry of Climate Change told APP.
They said Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration was holding meetings with owners of brick kilns to convince them to shift their plants to other suitable places, but they were demanding compensation. However, they said if the brick kilns found violating the prescribed rules, “they will be closed down instantly.”
To a question, they said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had been equipped with European software for flood-forecasting, adding that with this technology efficiency of the Met Department had improved considerably.
They said National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Federal Flood Commission (FFC), Provincial Irrigation Departments (PIDs), PMD and its Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) and Pakistan Communication for Indus Water (PCIW) departments were involved in flood management in the country.
To another question, the sources said in principle, there was a ban on production of non-degradable plastic bags, but it couldn’t be implemented due to certain reasons. However, they said, the ministry would expedite the work to ensure ban on such material bags.
