Gags shortage leads to environment in jeopardy

The Express Tribune reported that gas shortages have pushed a number of steel mills in sectors I - 9 and I - 10 to using coal, increasing the level of pollution in the city.

Mr Asif Shuja director general of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency said that “The growing concern for us is to stop steel mills from using coal as a substitute to gas because it is hazardous to human health and the environment.”

Mr Shuja said that the unavailability of gas for industrial units has become a burgeoning issue and they are now using furnace oil and coal to meet their need. He said that we have urged the re - rolling steel mills to install coal gasification plants, which two have installed, but the rests still have to follow suit.

He said that though the unit costs around PKR 10 million, installing them is becoming inevitable as uninterrupted supply of gas does not seem possible in the current circumstances. The commercial units in Islamabad have not been getting natural gas for more than 10 days now.

According to Mr Shuja, the Pak - EPA has regularly raised reservations in their meetings about the growth of the industrial area and the resulting pollution. They have curbed one of the major causes of pollution marble cutting by stopping dry cutting and urged the owners of marble processing units to use wet cutting methods. However, he admitted that a lot still has to be done in other areas.

Recently, the government admitted during a senate question answer session that emissions from the industrial units in sectors I - 9 and 1 - 10 are causing pollution problems in the area. Senator Hidayatullah asked if the government has any proposals under consideration to address the issue.

Mr Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Capital Administration and Development minister responded that “There is no such proposal under consideration.”

Mr Gondal said that the Pak - EPA is the regulatory authority under the Environmental Protection Act 1997 and the Capital Development Authority has already approached Pak - EPA to take necessary steps to contain and control pollution in Islamabad. The Pak - EPA has issued Environmental Protection Orders to all nine steel furnaces to install wet scrubber treatment devices and submit emissions report to the agency.