PESHAWAR, Nov 15: NWFP Minister for Environment Abbas Khan has said that untreated effluents from Hayatabad township and Hayatabad industrial estate are not only affecting the health of residents of the locality, but also that of people living along the nullah through which the hazardous waste material passes, on way to the Kabul river.

The minister was briefed by officials of concerned departments on Thursday on the issue, says a handout.

Mr Abbas expressed concern over the fact that, on the one hand four treatment plants had been established in Peshawar on which a huge amount of public money had been spent, and on the other, none of the plants were being used for treating the sewage of the city. He regretted that no arrangements were made by owners of industrial units to solve the effluent problem.

The meeting was attended by the NWFP chief secretary, officers of PDA, SDA, EPA and Workers Welfare Board, besides Sirajul Haq Yousafzai and Nawab Khattak, Nazims of union councils, Hayatabad, and representatives of Hayatabad residents’ council , and industrialists.

A committee was set up to study the feasibility of connecting the sewer of Hayatabad township with the sewage treatment plant built on Warsak Road, and to study the feasibility of introducing a joint soaking pit system for the sewage from Hayatabad, as an alternative.

Another committee was set up to study case- by-case situation of untreated effluents from industries and prepare a proposal for steps required for the treatment of individual industry’s effluent, and the possibility of setting up a combined liquid waste material treatment plant.

The committee will also evaluate a proposal for treatment of sewage from the Workers’ Welfare Board colony.