May 03, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 26, 1429

KARACHI, May 2: The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency has told the Defence Housing Authority that certain activities undertaken by private developers that are part of its waterfront development project are in violation of government rules and should, therefore, be stopped immediately.

Sources in the environmental watchdog told Dawn that a show-cause notice had been served upon the DHA, which had been asked to explain within 15 days as to why a condition in the approval given in the Initial Environment Examination (IEE) report pertaining to a concept plan of the waterfront project had been violated by engaging private builders to develop huge physical structures for commercial purposes and why the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment report had not been obtained.

The sources said the DHA had been asked to submit a comprehensive EIA report pertaining to development of a few west-facing complexes in one of its waterfront zones for review and approval of Sepa after holding public hearings. They added that the DHA had been told that otherwise the previously granted approval to the concept plan of the waterfront development project would stand cancelled.

After receiving detailed reports prepared from scientific, micro-environmental, macro-environmental, social and economic points of view under the environmental laws of the country, an environmental agency is required to hold public hearings and frame a set of environmental management plans and guidelines on mitigation measures for the proponents prior to giving clearance to any project submitted to it.

Environmentalists and conservationists expressed considerable concern about five months ago when a Gulf firm launched a project along the Arabia Sea to establish, among other facilities, residential and commercial projects within the jurisdiction of the DHA.

An approval of IEE was issued to the DHA in favour of its proposed waterfront development concept plan in the middle of February 2008, subject to strict compliance of some mandatory conditions, the sources said, adding that the DHA had lately been blamed for ignoring a major condition that stated that the IEE approval was being granted for the waterfront development plan only and any upcoming projects as a result of this approval, which might start in the future, would require an environmental approval in shape of an IEE or EIA depending on their impact, severity and requirement of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 and IEE/EIA regulations 2000.

In a written communication, Sepa has pointed out to the DHA that it has come to know recently about the construction of a huge project involving private builders and developers, without the legal approval of EIA from Sepa.

According to the environmental baseline and assessment report that Sepa considered for the grant of environmental clearance, the proposed development has land use patterns in which residential, commercial and recreational sites would be developed in the southern portion of Karachi from Sindbad to the Golf Course along the beach.The concept plan of DHA waterfront development divides the 14-kilometre waterfront into seven district zones, says a DHA document.

However, independent observers and conservationists insist that Sepa should first have asked the DHA to submit an EIA report with regard to reclamation of a huge tract of land along the sea and then examined proposed development activities and their environmental, social, physical and ecological impact on natural conditions.