KARACHI: Raising their concerns yet again over the two multi-billion coal projects planned in the Port Qasim area, industrialists at a meeting held on Tuesday called upon the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) to thoroughly revisit both projects and make them environment-friendly.

Traders represented by the Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) also submitted a set of recommendations to the authority in this regard.

The meeting was called by the PQA in an effort to address traders’ concerns over the proposed coal conveying system and the development of two coal handling facilities.

According to sources, the BQATI representatives were of the opinion that their investment running in billions in the Port Qasim area faced grave threat from the coal project given the fact that environmental safeguards were almost non-existent in the country and government regulatory bodies were weak.

Investors, they said, never knew that one day the PQA would change its master plan and set up large-scale coal handling facilities in the Port Qasim area. Master plans, they argued, could be changed for national interests. But there should be a mechanism to ensure that public interests were protected, they added.

Being unconvinced with the briefings on the projects given by consultants at the meeting, they insisted that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports (of the projects) contained ‘false information and had missed out on important details’.

The data on air and wind in these reports was also challenged and it was pointed out that the EIA report on berth three and berth four (coal handling facilities) had completely ignored the risk of suspended particulate matter, a potential threat emerging from coal handling facilities. Since the suspended particulate matter was acidic in nature, it could cause erosion at industrial units, it was said.

The PQA, sources said, showed willingness towards the call for removing gaps in the EIA reports.

The recommendations submitted by BQATI on the coal terminals stated that transportation of coal through PQA channel, its transfer from mother ship to small vessels and to the coal yard and further to the railway network should be fully covered.

“The Sahiwal Power Company and the Huaneng Fuyun Port and Shipping (Pvt), the project developers, should be asked to provide adequate infrastructure facilities including water sprinkling system, firefighting arrangements and wind shields at the project sites.

“All mitigation measures recommended in the EIA reports should be complied with and project proponents shall ensure all trains before leaving the storage yard are sprinkled and covered with tarpaulin or any other effective measure shall be adopted to avoid coal dust and spillage during transportation.

“Any damage caused to the industrial units/assets at the coal handling facilities shall be fully compensated by Sahiwal Power Company and Huaneng Fuyun Port and Shipping (Pvt),” the document submitted to the PQA states.

It also requests the PQA to ensure 24-hour air quality monitoring at specific locations and that the project proponents shall engage independent monitoring consultants to ensure monitoring of the project’s compliance with the environmental management plan and to document the monthly status of the project progress.

“Coal shall be stored in such a way that a coal heap shall be not be higher than five metres and the distance between two heaps at ground level should be five to 10 metres to ensure access in case of a fire mishap.

“Sufficient water storage facilities shall be developed. Water sprinkling shall be carried out at each and every stage of handling to avoid generation of coal dust and other dust within the premises.”

The proposals include suggestion for a committee comprising the authority officials, the BQATI representatives and environmentalist who would review the monthly progress of coal handling facilities throughout the construction and operational phase.

The PQA and BQATI agreed to hold another meeting to find out a way forward.

It was the second meeting held by the PQA on the coal projects pending Sindh Environmental Protection Agency approval. The PQA, the sources said, was facing pressure from the federal government to ensure coal supplies to the Sahiwal-based power project by June next year.

Both the projects, the sources said, drew criticism at their respective hearings when their EIA reports were shared with stakeholders; the conveying system’s EIA report was rejected by Sepa while the other EIA report is pending approval.

Published in Dawn December 7th, 2016