KARACHI: The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has ordered closure of four industrial units involved in what the agency says are multiple violations of environmental laws, including discharge of their toxic waste into drains.

Three of these units are located in Khamiso Goth adjacent to North Karachi Industrial Area whereas one is in the Port Qasim area.

Sources said that the decisions were taken in personal hearings held over the past two days at the Sepa office.

The process followed the findings of the Supreme Court-mandated Commission on Water and Sanitation (which carried out detailed inspection of industrial areas in Sindh last year).

“Residents of Khamiso Goth have lodged a number of complaints against industrial units being operated in their residential area,” Sepa director general Naeem Mughal said, adding that the department had sent notices to 26 factories in Khamiso Goth.

According to him, only 13 factories out of 26 responded to notices while three units engaged in dye and bleaching processes have been asked to close down after they were found to be violating environmental laws.

“Apart from the fact that these factories were being operated in a residential area, which is illegal, they were found to be releasing highly toxic waste water into drains. Other units were not using or discharging toxic waste water,” he explained.

Responding to another question, he said that all industrial units had been given four months’ time by the water commission to set up treatment plants and that time had well passed.

Asked about units that failed to respond, he said that the department would send them notices again, or else the department had the option to prosecute them in the environmental tribunal.

A solvent extraction plant located in the eastern zone of Port Qasim, he pointed out, was also found to be releasing toxic emissions and waste water.

“Established in 2013, this oil factory not only lacked approval from the department, but [is] currently expanding in a big way, that too without seeking departmental approval.

“In addition, they were using coal in huge quantities to operate their boilers, all in violation [of] environmental laws,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2019