KARACHI: Growing air pollution in the city and the failure of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) to ensure effective monitoring of projects during their construction and operational phases emerged as major concerns shared by stakeholders at a public hearing organised on Tuesday at the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan.

Organised by Sepa, the hearing pertained to the Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited’s (PSMCL) expansion project, which has been proposed adjacent to the company’s existing facility at Pakistan Steel Industrial Estate in Bin Qasim Town.

The information shared during the event showed that the project is estimated to cost $450 million and involves establishment of a new plant, its storage area and an internal road network at PSMCL’s leased area of over 70 acres.

The new plant to be financed by the Suzuki Motor Corporation Japan would initially have the capacity to produce 120,000 four-wheelers annually which would eventually increase to 200,000.

The programme began with a presentation of the project by Sohaib Tariq representing the Environmental Management Consultants (EMC) Pakistan, the company which carried out the project’s environmental evaluation.

Sharing findings of the EIA report, Mr Tariq said activities in the automotive plant, such as welding, painting and vehicle testing, might affect indoor air quality of the plant for which the consultants had suggested installation of ventilation systems.

The paint process, the audience was informed, would discharge effluent high in biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand.

The plant’s effluent and sewage, it was pointed out, would be discharged in drains after treatment.

“Non-hazardous and non-recyclable wastes would be disposed of to the landfill sites through municipal administration whereas hazardous waste would be sent for off-site incineration through EPA-certified waste contractor,” Tariq said.

The EIA report consultants described the project as environmentally safe if the environmental management plan was implemented by the proponent in letter and spirit.

As the floor opened for the question-answer session, stakeholders represented by a diverse range of experts, former government officials, journalists and students raised a number of concerns, including the lack of initiative on part of foreign investors to transfer skills and technology to locals and help upgrade the local industry, and the mechanisms the new plant would have to ensure non-release of hazardous compounds.

‘Toothless’ Sepa

The most pressing concerns, however, pertained to availability of basic utilities especially water to the project, Sepa’s lack of organisational capacity to enforce law and bind project proponents to fulfil the commitments they make during public hearings.

“While air pollution in the city has reached dangerous levels, more and more projects are coming up with least compliance with environmental rules and regulations,” said senior Engineer A.A. Chandani, adding that Sepa was failing to carry out proper post-construction monitoring of projects.

In this context, he questioned whether the department had envisaged any plan to address the pollution being generated by growing number of vehicles.

“More vehicles on the road means more pollution. We generally talk of vehicular emissions but little understanding exists about the hazardous pollutants released by tyre-road friction,” he observed, asking what would happen when 160,000 more vehicles would come on city’s already congested roads.

He also questioned why many industrial units were “illegally” getting supply of fresh water when it was only meant for domestic purposes.

Stakeholders also shared concerns over the status of treatment plants in the city and said none of the existing ones were functioning while work on new projects was suspended.

They urged Sepa to make its operation transparent and upload the NOCs (no-objection certificates) it granted to proponents so people could see the conditions the department had attached for project’s development.

Replying to some of these questions, Sepa’s Director General Naeem Mughal said that the department was planning to set up an overseeing committee comprising stakeholders from various fields to monitor projects.

He agreed to the reservations over growing pollution in the city and expressed the resolve to prosecute the parties whose projects were causing pollution.

“We would ask the Pak Suzuki company to implement the standards which it follows in Japan,” he said, emphasising that industries should upgrade their treatment plants, recycle their waste water and use it.

He also informed the audience about the monitoring process the department had undertaken for vehicular emissions.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2019