KARACHI, Feb 12: The speakers at a consultative meeting on industrial pollution expressed grave concern over the damage caused to citizens’ health and the environment by industrial effluent and vowed to raise the issue at different fora. They said toxic waste had killed five children and seriously injured 20 others in recent incidents.

The meeting was organised by labourers, civil society activists in New Labour Colony, SITE Town. Lawyers, office bearers and members of labourers’ organisations and NGOs, people of the area attended.

The conveners, Nawab Ali and Noor Rehman, briefed the participants about the dangerous situation caused by industrial waste and said that the waste was being disposed of in vacant plots, roadsides, graveyards and residential areas. The toxic chemicals had claimed the lives of five children and caused injuries to more than 20 people, they claimed. A teenager, Sheraz, who lost both his hands and feet while playing near a toxic waste dump, was also present with other children who received injuries in that incident.

The speakers said similar incidents had occurred in Orangi Town. But, the victims kept quiet, fearing reprisals from factory owners.

The residents of Korangi Industrial Area, Landhi and Federal B Area complained that they had also expressed concern that industrial waste was being dumped in their localities, but no action was taken against factory owners. Seeing official apathy, they said, a Society for Environment Protection (SEP) had been set up which would take up environmental issues and report on violation of labour laws in industrial areas.

Faisal Siddiqi, an advocate representing the toxic waste victims, said that the Sindh High Court had already banned the dumping of industrial waste on open plots and those violating the law would be taken to court. He urged the people to take a united stand for their rights.

Zahid Farooq of Urban Resource Centre, Nasir Mansoor of Labour Education Foundation, Abdul Salam of Labour Party Paksitan,Ghulam Habib Paracha of Paracha Welfare Trust, Nadeem Ahmad of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), and the victims relatives also spoke on the occasion and proposed starting a movement to protect people residing in industrial areas.