PESHAWAR, April 30: A local municipality has warned hundreds of Afghan hand-knot carpet manufacturers to close their business in residential areas within 10 days or face action, sources said.

Officials said the municipality was issuing notices to the owners of carpet units. It had taken the action on the reports that chemicals used for the colouring of carpets caused serious health problems and polluted environment, they said.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Sardar Muhammad Idrees, during a visit to the Afghan colony, had received complaints from locals against the units in residential areas.

The city district council has passed unanimous resolutions on many occasions, asking the district government to relocate the units from residential areas.

Mr Idrees directed the tehsil municipal administrator of Town-I to close carpet units in the residential areas within a period of 10 days.

An official concerned told Dawn that the notices served on the owners of carpet units on Saturday asked them to relocate their activities to an appropriate site.

“The manufacturers will be asked to close their activities voluntarily by May 9, or face action,” he said.

Around 100 carpet-making units in the Afghan Colony alone would face closure while those on Kohat Road have already been sealed on the complaints of locals, according to officials.

Hundreds of Afghan refugees had set up units in rented buildings and shops in various colonies of the city where carpet were being designed and coloured. Dyeing and colouring of wools cause water pollution and block sewerage system.

Officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said toxic effluents discharged during manufacturing process caused problem of Biochemical Oxygen Demands (BODs), while wool dust created severe dust pollution.

Local carpet traders oppose the decision of the administration, saying that it would be a setback for carpet sector in the province. It had already suffered due to the repatriation of Afghan artisans on a large scale, they said.

A leading exporter, Shahid Munir, said 60 per cent Afghan artisans had already left the city while the remaining would also go back to their country if the government did not revoke its decision.

He said that it was the government responsibility to provide proper infrastructure to the carpet manufacturers instead of issuing notices to them.

Officials said that the provincial government had planned to set up a carpet village on the outskirts of the city to relocate Afghan artisans. A site had been identified, but the project was abandoned due to some unknown reasons, he added.