KARACHI, Sept 21: Residents of the old city areas are perturbed over the growth of industrial units and factories in the residential areas of their locality and have urged their removal to save the environment from further degradation.

According to the area people and community leaders, these industrial units work day and night and are causing noise pollution and other environment-related problems, exposing people to serious health hazards.

Hundreds of illegal factories and small industries have been set up in the congested localities of Lyari, Kharadar, Mithadar and other areas in utter violation of municipal laws.

Though many of them have got licenses from municipal offices for carrying out their business by greasing the palms of the authorities, there are many cases in which the owners have not bothered to get permissions or pay municipal taxes.

A CBO representative said the reason the industrial units had gone mushrooming in the areas was cheap child labour.

According to him, a large number of teenagers are working in these units without any agreement or facility, and their services can be terminated any time.

More than 200 such units are operating in Lyari Town alone. The number in other old areas is even higher.

Most of the factories set up illegally in connivance with the municipal authorities produce plastic-made goods, soap, spices, confectionery items and chemical items.

There are also cotton and wool-ginning factories built in congested localities of Rangiwara, Singoo Lane, Usmanabad and adjoining areas of Nawa Lane, where people are facing a constant threat of skin and respiratory diseases.

The situation has further deteriorated with the establishment of auto-workshops that have turned the whole area into a commercial jungle.

Adding to the people’s woes are the warehousing facilities available in every street, creating a lot of problems for the residents.

The residents said that most of the warehousing units had been granted temporary leases as far back as the 40s and the 50s by the then collectorate. Despite their protests, they said, the lease terms of these plots were extended and they continued to operate an account of high connections.

They said the lease period of many plots had expired, and these commercial plots, measuring hundreds of acres and situated mainly in Rangiwara, Chawkiwara and Usmanabad, could be used for amenity purposes.