ISLAMABAD: Residents of the federal capital are fighting air pollution from emissions from steel mills in the local industrial area that continue to poison the air they breathe.

“We are fighting a losing battle,” said I-9 resident Hameed Butt, adding that all the complaints registered with the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) have been in vain.

“The government and the steel mill owners are playing with our lives,” added Raja Naveed, who also lives in the sector.

Dozens of written complaints are sent to the Pak-EPA offices every month from residents of I-9 and I-10. The Pak-EPA, in turn, only responds when the letters continue to come in and pressure mounts.

Residents call on environmental watchdog to fight air pollution from steel mills’ emissions

Pak-EPA Director General Farzana Altaf Shah told Dawn she has received dozens of complaints every month from residents, as well as factories that produce edibles in the same area.

“The steel mill owners do not want to cooperate. Their attitude is extremely non-serious. The industry is blatantly violating environmental laws.

“There is a Supreme Court order to shut down steel mills emitting poisonous gases into the atmosphere, polluting the air people breathe. They are leaving us with no option but to implement SC orders to do just that,” Ms Shah said.

In 2010, the SC observed: “From the report of the Director General, Pak-EPA, as well as reports in newspapers, it is evident that the pollution in the residential area has reached a dangerous level and the local residents are feeling difficulty in breathing. In this state of affairs, we have no option but to order sealing of all the steel mills in I-9 and I-10, Islamabad, until the online dust monitor is installed.”

But more than a dozen steel furnaces have failed to comply with environmental laws. They have disregarded Pak-EPA warnings to install equipment, such as bag air filters and online dust monitors to reduce emissions, or face legal action, a senior government official said.

Residents have complained that steel furnaces begin running around 5am. “Thick black smoke blankets the area for hours. They also operate near midnight, when the black smoke rising from the chimneys is not visible in the darkness,” said I-9 resident Malik Najeeb.

Steel mills sealed five months ago by the Pak-EPA have also resumed their activities without being cleared by the concerned authorities. In October last year, the agency sealed three steel furnaces for not complying with environmental laws.

According to Ms Shah, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) told the government that steel mills would control emissions and would install the necessary equipment.

“We met ICCI representatives and conveyed our concern regarding emissions and asked them to comply with the laws. We will shut down all steel mills not complying with environmental laws. We need all the assistance from the district administration and the Capital Development Authority to implement court orders,” she said.

However, ICCI President Khalid Malik claimed: “Emissions from steel furnaces are very much under control. All the steel mill owners have installed equipment to control emissions.”

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017