ISLAMABAD: Two steel mills shut down for violating environment laws have resumed business without approval from the environment watchdog.

“The owners of the steel mills seem to have broken the seals placed on the gates by Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA.

“The agency is now looking into the matter,” said Ministry of Climate Change Director General Irfan Tariq.

He explained that a process had to be followed through court and the government department that sealed the building/premises was then notified to reopen the premises.

“However, Pak-EPA has not received any notification through the court to allow the steel mills to resume business,” Mr Tariq told Dawn on Sunday.

In April, Pak-EPA had issued environment protection orders (EPO) to Siddiqui Steel Mill and Zia Steel Mill for polluting the air with dangerous emissions.

The environment watchdog had maintained that both the steel mills were ‘responsible for causing significant pollution.’

Secretary Ministry of Climate Change Khizar Hayat promised action against other units for polluting the air.

According to environmentalists in the climate change ministry, Islamabad owes its high air pollution to steel mills, a dominant source of air pollution, other than factors such as mega development projects.

The officials in the ministry said the smoke residents see rising from chimneys was black carbon that contained particulate matter.

Inhaling particulate pollution, mixtures of solid and liquid particles that circulate in the air, can increase risks of lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits for people with asthma and heart problems among a host of other health problems, they said.

The officials added that black smoke was caused by the poor quality of scrap used by steel mills and steel furnaces.

The scrap included oil and paint canisters, one of the actual sources of black smoke.

Despite repeated reminders from Pak-EPA, steel mills and steel furnaces continue to operate without switching on their filtering equipment, said Mr Tariq.

He said Pak-EPA was monitoring the air quality around I-9 and I-10 where these steel mills were located.

“A survey is being carried out and raids will be conducted on the steel mills that are contaminating the air,” the official said.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2018