KARACHI, Oct 2: The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency has sealed a factory under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 for polluting the environment, it emerged on Tuesday.

For its persistent act of polluting the surrounding environment, the industrial unit has been sealed by Sepa under Section 16 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, which authorises the provincial environmental watchdog to shut down any manufacturing or services unit found involved in violating the environmental laws.

Besides, Sepa collected samples from nine industries in the city which will be analysed in a laboratory and necessary legal action will be initiated against them if they are found exceeding the permissible limits set by the National Environmental Quality Standards.

On a directive of the provincial minister for environment and alternative energy, Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, Sepa has stepped up its monitoring activities and during the recent weeks it monitored or visited 104 units, including industries, hospitals, solid waste management services, building projects and miscellaneous commercial and services concerns in Karachi and its suburbs.—PPI