LAHORE: Industrial units, mainly steel factories, in residential areas of the provincial metropolis continue causing health problems for the residents of the areas and their own workforce in violation of the laws.

In various surveys, the City District Government of Lahore and other departments have already raised serious objections to the existence of such factories, recommending their removal in phases. However, no practical steps have been taken to implement recommendations, allowing the factories to continue affecting public health.

In a survey conducted by Dawn, most of informal sector’s factories, mainly steel units are working in the north of the city in New Saggian, Rashidpura, Daroghawala, Badami Bagh, Salamatpura and some other residential localities.

Noise and smoke pollution is disturbing the people both mentally and physically. There were some cases where the people even died of the diseases caused by pollution, including tuberculosis.

“The factories burn used tyres, waste rubber, pipes and other sort of waste, releasing dangerous smoke and toxins that affect our health. Many residents have contracted tuberculosis and some died of the disease,” says Ibrahim, a resident of New Saggian.

The situation is same in Rashidpura and other localities where a number of steel factories burn tyres, wood, waste iron, plastic pipes and whatever is available to burn for melting iron and manufacturing steel products.

Salim, a resident living nearby a factory area in Rashidpura, says he is surprised as to why the government agencies are not taking action against the factories which are working in violation of the rules.

The factory workers are among the most affected ones as they are not only exposed to health hazards but are also being denied adequate wages, medical, insurance and other rights.

“The summer is always a hard season for us as we, in the absence of gas, have to put burning material in the oven for fire to melt used iron and produce steel. No ordinary person can stay here for even a half an hour owing to massive oven fire and heat,” says Imran, the worker of a steel factory at Rashidpura.

In the group of Shoaib, Maqsood, Khushi and Nazar, Imran was the most well-informed about the legal facilities that were mandatory to be given to workers by the owners under labour laws.

“We receive Rs47 per hour for this skilled, hard labour. We have no facility of medical, insurance, social security, death and marriage grants and others. If we get injured during work, they give us only the first aid and we have to arrange money for the rest of our medical treatment,” he complains.

Imran says there are some workers who have been serving the factory for 20 to 25 years but none of them have so far received any facility under the labour laws.

“We didn’t even have toilets here some time ago and the owner constructed a washroom some days ago after several requests,” he adds.

Factory foreman Ghulam Muhammad rejects the workers’ claims, saying the owner has got social security cards issued for various workers. He rejects the reports of generating energy through burning tyres or other material injurious to health.

“We used to burn tyres sometime ago but when we came to know about its dangerous impact on public health, we left doing this,” he clarifies, adding the factory is now being run on gas and on wood or coal in the absence of gas during loadshedding. He says the factory owner is also constructing necessary infrastructure to make the exhaust less pollutant.

Abid Husain, who owns a steel factory, says most of the people’s complaints are not based on facts.

“No factory in our area burns tyres for steel manufacturing now and the smoke being released is not dangerous to health,” he claims, adding a factory, situated in front of his workplace, burns construction waste.

When this reporter visited that factory, the owner was not available there. However, rubber and plastic waste was lying there that was likely to be used for producing energy to be used to run the plant to melt iron.

Lahore’s District Officer (Environment) Muhammad Younas Zahid claims that his department has ensured installation of devices used to control pollution in 155 factories after sealing them.

“Besides, we have imposed heavy fines on several factories in this regard. It’s a fact that the smoke is injurious to health and we have succeeded in stopping owners from burning tyres. Though we have yet to take many steps, we are working hard to end pollution by all means,” he added.

Mr Zahid says that after the 18th Amendment, the environmental tribunal has become inactive, causing a delay in punishing those violating the environment laws. But now the matter has almost been resolved as the tribunal will start working and punishing the law violators soon, he claims.

Talking about the plan to shift factories outside the city, Zahid says the government is working on various options and adds, “Though the plans to shift them to Kala Shah Kaku and some other places are under consideration, the factory owners are least interested to go there keeping in view the issues faced during shifting.”