November 5, 2001	Monday	haba’an 18, 1422

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NAWABSHAH Nov 4: Pollution level in Nawabshah city is set to cross the safe limits due to the ashes being released by a sugar mill operating here.

According to experts, the ash usually discharged by the mill contains suspended particulate matters (SPM) which is the major cause of pollution to the city.

A visit to the adjoining areas of the sugar mill revealed that it had become a major contributor to the deteriorating environmental standards of the city.

According to the doctors at the People’s Medical College Hospital (PMCH) the burnt ashes being spread by the mill in the air were responsible for the increased cases of bronchial irritation, respiratory diseases, asthma and irritation to the eyes.

The settlers around the mill also complained that the polluted chemical liquid being disposed of by the mill was devastating their fertile land.

The chemical affluent discharged by the mill often gets mixed-up with the irrigation water which makes the vegetable and other crops ‘poisonous’ , a worried grower told this correspondent.

Sardar Sher Mohammed Rind, resident of Rind village located next to the sugar mill, maintained that the residents of his village were fully exposed to the hazards of the chemicals discharged by the mill almost daily because of the crushing season which had just began. This scenario would continue for the next six months.

People from Khaskheli village also vent their anger in the same manner. Mohammed Ali Khaskheli, resident of this village, said that: “we are living in a hell because of the existence of the mill” and appealed to the environmental protection agencies to take notice of the seriousness of the issue.

MILL’S VERSION: When contacted, a senior official of the mill said: “We have spent million of rupees to improve the environment”.

He said that latest plants had been installed at the mill, which would help in pollution reduction. “You should also highlight the positive aspects of the steps we have taken”, he said and added that the situation was much better than what it was a few years ago.