ISLAMABAD: Industrial units have continued to deny access to Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) inspectors in violation of Supreme Court orders to owners of such establishments to abide by environmental laws.

There have been times when owners blocked their main gates with heavy machinery to keep inspectors from entering their facilities and checking that they are complying with environmental regulations, a senior Ministry of Climate Change official told Dawn.

Pak-EPA inspectors have also been threatened and verbally abused by owners of industrial units on several occasions, the official alleged.

When the agency proceeds against violators of environmental laws, the official added, factory and mill owners obtain stay orders from environmental tribunals. This has been going on for years, the official said, adding that they were bound to respect court orders.

“The Pak-EPA is already a weak department, with just one inspector for field work to ensure that companies, businesses and factories etc are abiding by environmental laws,” the official added.

On Friday, Pak-EPA Director General Farzana Altaf Shah told the SC that no steps have been taken to stop industrial pollution.

On Friday, SC ordered owners of industrial units to pay 8pc mark-up on original security deposit for installation of filtering equipment

“We are not even allowed to conduct an inspection,” she said.

In response, the SC increased the financial penalty for owners of all industrial units in Islamabad who have not deposited Rs5 million as security until they take measures to abide by environmental laws.

The court had ordered owners of industrial units, particularly the steel mills in I-9 and I-10, to deposit Rs5m each around two weeks ago until they installed equipment to filter emissions before they are released into the air.

On Friday, the SC directed those who had not deposited the sum to pay an 8pc mark-up, which will be deposited into the SC’s fund for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.

The court also ordered Ms Shah and Human Rights Cell Director General Khalid Teepu Rana to submit a report on the city’s industrial units in the next five days.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has been hearing a case regarding environmental pollution in Islamabad.

The court observed that owners of industrial units in I-9 and I-10 are putting the lives of residents at risk by polluting the case.

The hearing has been adjourned until Sept 24, and the court has directed the concerned authorities present at the hearing to conduct inspections and submit a report within five days.

Details have also been sought of the number of active industrial units and a count of factories and mills where measures have not been taken to curb pollution.

The court said a detailed report is sought so the situation can become clearer.

The Pak-EPA has been drawing the SC’s attention towards increasing air pollution and steel mills’ emissions in particular for nearly 30 years.

The SC has finally decided in favour of the residents of I-8, I-9, I-10 and adjacent Rawalpindi, who have faced air pollution for several years.

According to environmentalists from the climate change ministry, Islamabad owes its high air pollution to steel mills, which are a major source of air pollution.

Inhaling particulate pollution – mixtures of solid and liquid particles that circulate in the air – can increase risks of lung cancer, cardiac arrest, stroke and emergency room visits for people with asthma or heart problems.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2018