SIALKOT: United Nations Industrial Development Organisation on Thursday announced its support for the development of a leather zone in Sialkot through UNIDO’s “climate change adaptation techniques programme”.

The UNIDO senior officials held a meeting with stakeholders at the auditorium of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI). Chamber President Zahid Latif Malik presided over the meeting.

UNIDO Project Manager Mr. Ivan Kral and Country Representative Ms. Nadia Aftab said the [UN] organisation would help the Sialkot’s leather sector in effective control of environmental hazards caused by the tanning industry.

They said in order to improve the adaptation capability, UNIDO was implementing a Global Environment Facility (GEF) project titled “mainstreaming climate change adaptation through water resource management in leather industrial zone development” in Sialkot to shift all tanneries [scattered in and around Sialkot city] to a centralised location and provide various facilities like common effluent treatment plant, solid waste disposal site and common effluent collection system.The meeting was told that the Sialkot Tannery Zone project had been planned to reduce environmental footprints from Sialkot city as all tanneries would be shifted to the newly planned leather industrial park.

The meeting reviewed in detail the pace of implementation of the project by all stakeholders.

Project Director Muhammad Atif highlighted the importance of the role of [project] partners in providing technical support to establish effluent treatment plant.

Muhammad Atif told the meeting that as per the layout plan, 554 plots had been allotted through balloting to local tanners. “Most of them have paid land cost and are paying development charges in instalments.”

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2017