March 4, 2003	Tuesday	Zul Hijjah 30, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, March 3: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed to check increasing air pollution in I-8, I-9 and I-10 sectors, chiefly caused by the steel and marble factories set up in the nearby industrial area, Dawn has learnt.

The residents of these sectors have been complaining to the CDA, the environment ministry and the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) to take steps to counter the situation, but to no avail.

They have also complained of a significant rise in respiratory diseases, specially among children, besides low visibility in the area.

“We are living in worst environmental conditions, but the CDA, despite growing concerns among inhabitants of this area over the air pollution, has remained indifferent”, Mr Jamal, a resident of I-8 sector, said.

One can see a black layer on curtains, or other things which remain untouched for three to five months; corrosion is also very common. These are all signs of air pollution, he added.

When contacted, CDA director-general environment Mazhar Hussain said the authority was pursuing industrialists, with a special focus on steel and marble factories, to use treatment plants to filter hazardous smoke emissions.

However, so far, none of the seven major industrial units have set up treatment plants, he added.

The official agreed that the residents of the sectors close to the industrial area were suffering from air pollution, and, as a result, were more prone to respiratory diseases.

“If the industrialists do not follow CDA directives to control air pollution in near future, the authority will file a complaint with the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA),” Mr Mazhar said.

He said the authority had devised a plan to check air pollution in the federal capital territory. “In the first phase of the plan, air pollution is our main target, while in the second phase, we will concentrate on water pollution,” he added.

In a recent meeting between CDA officials, local MNA Mian Aslam and factory owners, it was decided to install smoke- treatment plants in the factories.

In this regard, a second meeting has been scheduled for March 10, to decide future course of action, the CDA official said.

Talking to this reporter, Mian Aslam said: “People are quite concerned over the increasing air pollution in I-series sectors, therefore, I have decided to work with the CDA, the PEPA and other stakeholders to resolve the issue.”

According to the environmentalists at the PEPA, steel industry is using low-quality scrap as raw material, and during the process, a huge number of particulates are released in the air.

Particulates is a general term used to describe tiny bits of matter (between 0.1 and 25 thousandths of a millimetre) floating in the atmosphere. Such particulates are also found in diesel smoke, fine ash and dust.

Smaller particles (less than 2.5 thousandths of a millimetre), when inhaled, can cause a lot of trouble.

In urban areas, five to 20 per cent of particulates are various sulphates, believed to be responsible for increase in asthma attacks, aggravation of any heart and lungs disease, and a lowered resistance to breathing problems among children.

These particulates also destroy plants by covering their leaves, thus, reducing their access to sunlight. They also make buildings and other materials, such as cloths and other fabrics, dirty. Sulphur dioxide, in particular, corrodes buildings in the same way as acid rains do — another worst form of pollution.

The environmentalists said the haze covering the affected sectors was called smog — a mixture of smoke and fog. It is made up of particulates, that are formed by a complex reaction between various oxides of nitrogen and a wide range of hydrocarbons. The formation of smog is triggered by sunlight.

This means that smog tends to form in urban areas where there are a huge number of cars, and, especially, where the air is stagnant, so the smog isn’t dispersed naturally.

In Islamabad, vehicular traffic is responsible for hydrocarbon and nitrogen dioxide emissions. The environmentalists said, every day, about 80,000 vehicles plied on the city roads.

Since the federal capital lies in the lap of Margalla Hills, hence, air, unlike coastal cities, remains suspended and create smog over the city.