March 20, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 30, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, March 19: Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency on Monday issued environmental protection orders to the owners of two steel mills for violating environmental laws and causing pollution in the city, Dawn learnt through reliable sources.

“Today we have issued Environmental Protection Order to S.H. Steel Mills and Ittihad Steel Mills, under which they have been given one month deadline, either to install anti-pollutant devices or the agency will take them to environmental tribunal for legal action,” an official told this reporter.

Since the Supreme Court’s suo motu notice of the increasing air pollution in the capital, the EPA had been actively pursuing factory owners to follow the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997 (Pepa) or face legal action.

Over the last few years, the federal capital is witnessing increased air and water pollution. Islamabad was once considered the cleanest city in the country but now it is increasingly losing its natural beauty.

In response to a question, the official said this time it would not be an easy-going affair and the responsible mill owners would be taken to task. “If the environment protection act is not followed in its true spirit, the city would soon join the rest of the urban centres of the country where both air and water pollutions have crossed dangerous levels,” the official added.

Where the agency is convinced that the discharge or emission of any effluent, waste, air pollutant, noise, waste disposal, handling of hazardous substances or any other act is likely to occur or has occurred in violation of the provisions of the environment act, an EPO can be issued.

Under the EPO a fine of up to Rs1 million could be imposed on the respondent and in case of continued violation, an additional fine of Rs100,000 could be enforced for every single day during which contraventions continues.

The environmental tribunal if satisfied with the agency’s observations can sentence a factory owner for a term which may be extended up to two years. The tribunal can also order closure of a factory or confiscation of equipment and material used against the provision of the environment protection act.

When asked, the official accepted that there was no dearth of provisions whereby the agency could easily enforce compliance of environmental rules by the factory owners but it only needed firm commitment on the part of highups concerned.

However, with increasing awareness of the environmental concerns among the general public, there is a way out for the agency but to enforce environment protection act in its totality, the official said.

There are cases where a number of factories have accepted the agency’s recommendations and running their business without polluting the environment, the official said.