KARACHI, May 21: Chief Minister’s Adviser on Environment, Alternate Energy and Information Technology Noman Saigal said that the World Health Organisation and other international organisations of health and environment had started compiling reports about pollution created by factories of Karachi and interior Sindh and human losses caused by it.

He was speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by industrialists and investors of Punjab on Saturday night. He said that the incidents of industrial pollution were part of a conspiracy against Pakistan’s exports. He said that the industrialists involved in violation of Section 126 of Environment Act 1997 as well as the World Tradde Organisation laws were giving a bad name to the country and its products at international level. He said that it was due to the violation of environmental laws that the way was paved to get Pakistani products banned by the WTO.

Noman Saigol said that the provincial environment department had stressed upon improving environmental status of all factories in Karachi and the interior of Sindh within two years, but some industrialists did not obey the environmental laws and failed to install treatment plants in their units.

He warned that in the next two years the WTO, the WHO and other international organisations would impose complete ban on exports of products if those factories in Sindh were found involved in violation of environmental laws, and this would cause great loss to Pakistani exports.

The industrialists and investors of Punjab, on the occasion, showed their willingness to set up industries in Karachi and the interior of Sindh and gave some suggestions to the adviser in this regard.

Noman Saigal welcomed their suggestions and assured them of possible cooperation on behalf of the Sindh government. He asked them that before setting up industries they should contact the Sindh Environment Protection Agency for conducting their environmental survey.He said that providing complete information about the environmental laws to industrialists was the need of the hour. He said that reputation of Pakistan, especially Sindh, regarding environmental issues was being affected at international level.

He said that the government wanted to invite international investors so that it could emerge as a good region for industrialisation, investment and environment. He deplored that a few industrialists of Sindh were involved in hatching conspiracies against Pakistani exports by deliberately violating environmental laws and giving Pakistan a bad name in the world.

Reiterating that due to this irresponsibility of a few industrialists the image of the whole country regarding environmental condition is being tarnished, the adviser urged the industrialists to obey local and international environmental laws and manufacture their products according to international standard.—PPI