KARACHI: Facing pressure from the federal government to ensure coal supplies to a Sahiwal-based power project by June next year, the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) held a meeting on Friday to allay stakeholders’ reservations over a coal project whose approval had been pending with the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) for over a month.

Though attendees were informed that the meeting would focus on environmental concerns regarding the controversial 4.5km long conveying system to be built at the port, it largely focused on the two PQA berths to be turned into modern coal-handling facilities. Once operational, around four million tonnes of coal would be imported through them.

Both multi-billion rupee projects, sources said, had attracted a lot of criticism in their respective hearings when their environmental impact assessment reports (EIAs) were shared with stakeholders; the conveying system’s EIA report was rejected by Sepa which directed the PQA in the other hearing to submit a detailed reply over the numerous environmental concerns raised against the PQA berth project. The PQA is yet to reply.

Opposition to the projects, however, seemed to have run out of steam during the Friday’s meeting chaired by PQA chief Aga Jan Akhtar and attended by a select group of industrialists, environmentalists and others.

Besides, it lacked representation from the Global Environmental Management Services, the consultancy firm which prepared the EIA report of the PQA berth project, as well as the resident fishing communities, a major stakeholder likely to be directly affected by the coal-based project.

It was pointed out during the meeting that though coal was being handled in complete disregard to the environmental law and standards for decades in the jurisdiction of Karachi Port Trust and Port Qasim (and the same practice was in place at the Pakistan Steel Mills during its operation), hardly any voice was raised.

“But, now when efforts are being made to adopt modern methods and ensure coal safe handling, the PQA faces resistance,” remarked the PQA chairman, adding that earlier coal sorting was also carried out at the Port Qasim which abandoned this environmentally hazardous method on its own and the procedure was now done upcountry at the destination point.

Sharing concerns of various industrial units currently operational in the area, president of the Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry president A. Rasheed Jan Mohammed asked for assurances (from the PQA) that the mother vessel bringing in hundreds and thousands of tonnes of coal would be covered and that a safety mechanism would be adopted to ensure safe coal handling and transportation at the port.

To these reservations, it was pointed out that these concerns would be taken up with the berth operator, the same Chinese company building the Sahiwal power plant.

One of the major concerns raised at the meeting was lack of compliance by the project executor, post-EIA monitoring and implementation of environmental law by Sepa.

The PQA officials couldn’t share the data when asked how many mangroves had been planted to replace those that had been uprooted on a large scale from the area on account of development.

On air quality concerns, the PQA chairman replied that it would improve since safe coal handling methods would replace obsolete methods currently in place.

To another question, he said: “The PQA has been asked by the federal government to take up these projects otherwise the government would be forced to pay penalty (under the agreement it had signed with the Chinese company), if these projects were not completed and coal supplies not started to the Sahiwal-based project by June next year. The Sahiwal project is already at an advanced stage and can’t be rolled back.”

On the option of using rail service instead of conveying system for coal transportation, he said the Japan International Cooperation Agency had also done a study and endorsed the latter method.

“Since the entire conveyor belt would be covered and have a water sprinkling system, concerns over leakages and emissions do not hold ground,” he said, adding that the projects would meet the international standards.

The two berths, according to him, would be functional on build-operate-transfer basis under a 30-year agreement.

On violations to the Port Qasim and the Pakistan International Bulk Terminal master plans which didn’t have option for yet-to-be-build facilities, he said: “Master plans evolve according to needs and some projects, which hadn’t been mentioned in these documents, have already been built.”

Concern over industrial pollution was also raised during the meeting and it was suggested that industrial units should be bound to ensure environmental safety.

The meeting participants agreed to hold another meeting next week to develop consensus over the environmental safeguards needed to be taken in development and execution of these projects.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2016