March 16, 2007	Friday	Safar 26, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, March 15: Monitoring of industrial area by the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) to control increasing air pollution in the capital has failed to yield desired results as industrialists are expanding their business without following rules and regulation, Dawn has learnt.

An official concerned who requested not to be named told Dawn that a steel mill was setting up two more furnaces, although it had not sought prior permission from the agency, which was mandatory under the law.

“During the visit, we came to know about this particular development and would soon serve legal notice on the steel mill,” the official said.

The low quality raw material used by the steel melting furnaces is considered to be the root cause of air pollution in the capital, but so far the Pak-EPA has failed to control them, the official said.

In the recent past, taking a suo motu notice the eight- member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry (now made ineffective) ordered the closer of two steel mills—Modern Steel Mills and Potohar Steel Mills— unless they installed anti-pollution devices. The apex court also directed the DG Pak-EPA to take necessary measures for controlling pollution in the capital city.

Following the Supreme Court’s orders, the Pak-EPA was conducting an in-depth survey of the Islamabad Industrial Estate (IIE) to determine the causes of air pollution, which according to independent estimates have reached to dangerous levels. The residents of I-9 and I-10 sectors near the IIE had been complaining of increasing cases of respiratory diseases due to the air pollution in the area. One can easily see smog from distance enveloping the affected sectors.

According to Pak-EPA own estimates, out of over 200 industrial units in Islamabad, 115 had the potential of generating pollution.

These include eight steel melting furnaces, 11 re-rolling mills, 25 steel mills, 25 flour mills, five oil and ghee mills, 31 marble cutting and polishing units, 10 pharmaceutical companies, two galvanising mills, 23 metal working and 23 engineering units.

In response to a question, the official said, the industrialists were feeling a bit relieved over the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s as he over the last one year had been able to effectively address environmental issues.

The Chief Justice took suo motu actions of the increasing air pollution in the country, New Murree Project planned near Patriata and conversion of a public park in F-7 to a mini golf court for commercial purposes.