AS the saying goes, when asked what had made him a tyrant, Pharaoh said: “No one stopped me.” This is precisely what explains why powerful people and corporate entities in our society tend to be exploitative. Nobody in a position of authority stops them. Simple, you see.

A petroleum company in Daharki has been in headlines for all the wrong rea-sons over the years. The recent one is the exploration of well 4 in the rural areas of Daharki, where the company is reckl-essly disposing of the poisonous industrial wastewater in the nearby agrarian lands, causing severe health issues in the community.

This practice is causing economic loss to the already deprived locals by making their agrarian land barren. As per the law, the company has to dispose of such wastewater keeping in mind the safety protocols.

However, the company is not showing an iota of care for the regulations, and nobody is making it follow the protocol.

Similar to the situation in Balochistan, the gas from the area runs the engine of industries across the country, but those living in the neighbourhood of those very gas wells still have to use firewood to prepare food.

This old practice of dealing with a few feudal lords instead of the whole comm-unity needs to come to an immediate end. This is the moren, digital age and people are aware of their fundamental rights.

Ali Akhtar
Daharki

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2024