KARACHI: Various stakeholders in attendance at a public hearing held on Tuesday at a local hotel raised serious life and environmental safety concerns over a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal project at a site in the Port Qasim area where coal is being handled in large quantities.

They criticised the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) which, despite its repeated failure to assert its authority and get a copy of the federally notified Port Qasim Authority (PQA) master plan, had granted approval to a number of projects within the jurisdiction of the authority, endangering public interests.

The public hearing was organised by Sepa on an environmental assessment (EIA) report pertaining to the proposed construction and operation of an LPG handling and transport facility by the Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT) at its existing facility.

Sepa criticised for approving projects of ‘errant’ PQA

The project involves transfer of LPG from carrier vessels to the pipelines that would carry it to the customer storage facility to be operated by J.S. Petroleum Private Limited.

The project area falls in district Malir.

The EIA report was prepared by Hagler Bailly Pakistan (HB-P) whereas RINA Consulting S.p.A carried out project’s risk assessment.

The programme started with a presentation on the project’s EIA report according to which anticipated impacts of the project on the area’s natural and socioeconomic environment would remain well within acceptable limits, if the project construction, operation and decommissioning activities were carried out as suggested in the EIA report.

‘A recipe for disaster’

An important concern shared by most participants was related to the “highly inflammable nature of LPG, terminal’s close proximity to other hazardous materials being handled in the area and the destruction that might occur due to poor handling or in case of an accident at the LPG project”.

The EIA report, they said, lacked sufficient data to ensure that the project was safe.

They also questioned whether the PQA master plan currently available on its website was federally approved and notified and, if that’s the case, there was no provision for such a project in that master plan, they said.

It was also noted that the PIBT facility was meant exclusively to deal with coal, clinker and cement under an agreement it had with PQA.

“The risk assessment done as part of the EIA report lacked relevant studies and has totally ignored the risk of multiple fatalities from a single mishap,” said environmentalist Saquib Hussain, calling for cumulative risk assessment.

Explaining his point, he said that both workers as well as population in the vicinity especially localities of Lat Basti and Bhains Colony may face catastrophic situation in case of any incident that might occur mainly due to the presence of static charges released from the coal dust in the area hosting a number of industries including oil terminals.

The principal potential hazard with LPG, according to him, is fire and explosion due to its inherent high flammability and in extreme cases it may combine with some other condition, for instance, high pressure and lead to Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE), which occurs when a vessel/tank containing pressurised gas raptures.

“Sepa should recall the public hearing [as proper risk assessment hasn’t been done]. And, at the same time, PQA should clarify its position with regard to issuing permission for setting up an LPG terminal at this PIBT site in violation of its own master plan,” he said.

LPG storage facility cleared in IEE

Lawyer Zubair Abro questioned why Sepa had not uploaded the IEE report of the LPG storage facility that it had earlier approved as this project is meant to facilitate the other project [which posed similar threats to life and safety].

“The LNG to be imported under this project would be shifted to the storage facility that Sepa has cleared under IEE,” he said, adding that the EIA report lacked primary data and had relied on 1961 to 1990 weather statistics.

Dr Syed Raza Ali Gardezi representing Citizens for Environment urged Sepa to verify and vet the legal and judicial antecedents of the project before according approval.

“If the PQA has no federally approved master plan, any development that took place in Port Qasim lacks legal validity under PQA’s own act,” he said, adding that handling of coal and LPG at the same jetty was a recipe for disaster.

It was noted with regret that neither the PQA, hosting a number of industries in its jurisdiction, nor Sepa, which had granted approval to a number of PQA projects in recent years, had demonstrated serious commitment towards public health and safety by making it mandatory on project proponents to contribute towards improving health facilities of the area under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.

A Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry representative complained that industries were not contacted during the consultation process.

Two PQA officials present at the programme couldn’t reply to a list of questions including any steps taken by the authority to ensure safety of public health and environment.

PQA’s version

Replying to these concerns, chief financial officer Arsalan I. Khan said that the PQA had given the PIBT permission in writing to set up an LPG terminal at their existing facility and also approved the specific project.

The project, the audience was told, had three-layered safety and the system would automatically close down in case of any mishap and that the project was located at a safe distance from other installations.

Concerns pertaining to traffic congestion in the main channel were rejected on grounds that the channel was not being utilised to its full capacity.

Waqar Hussain Phulpoto representing Sepa said that the department was not satisfied with the risk assessment and a presentation on the subject would be organised later.

Sepa officials insisted that the LPG storage facility didn’t need an EIA process in which public objections were invited through a hearing.

Hagler Bailly Pakistan was represented by Hussain Ali.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2019