KARACHI, March 3: The Sindh environment department has started issuing letters to various government departments and agencies, asking them to ensure enforcement of environmental laws in new projects, said sources in the department.

The departments are being reminded that submission of environmental impact assessment (EIA) report to Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) was mandatory under Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, and they should not ignore the legal requirement of getting the development ventures cleared by the agency, a source said. Violation of the environmental laws by both government and private sectors in the past has been a source of concern and added to the environmental problems of the province, particularly in Karachi.

The requirement for environmental assessment is laid out in the Pepa 1997. Under section 12 (1) of the Act, no project involving construction activities, or any change in the physical environment, can be undertaken unless an initial environmental examination (IEE) or and EIA is conducted, and approval is received from federal or relevant provincial EPA. Furthermore, the Pepa Review of IEE and EIA Regulations, 2000 states that the EIA or IEE must be prepared, to the extent practicable, in accordance with the Pepa guidelines.

Citizens, particularly conservationists felt that unplanned and haphazard development, and ignoring environmental concerns, has caused adverse effects like traffic congestions, air pollution, noise pollution and accidents and inconvenience to people. They observed that like other metropolises, Karachi was expanding rapidly due to urban development, including housing and residential estates, which some time entailed adverse impacts, which could be attributed to the ineffective project management.

Sindh Minister for Environment and Alternative Energy Dr Sagheer Ahmad, asked to comment said that measures were being taken by his department to ensure true enforcement of legal requirement of EIA/IEE. We understand that there was a need that the condition of EIA, which is the basic tool to arrest the adverse environmental impacts at the planning stage, be enforced in a true sense, he added.

A Sepa official said that the City District Government Karachi had submitted EIA reports for construction of the 25-km Karachi Elevated Expressway over Sharea Faisal on the corridor that started from Jinnah Bridge, near KPT through Saddar Town, Jamshed Town, Shah Faisal Town and Malir Town and culminated at Landhi Town.

Public hearing on the EIA report will be conducted at the Sepa Complex on April 3. The public and stakeholders are invited to offer comments and concerns in writing suggesting mitigation measures at the earliest. The EIA reports are available for study by the public at Sepa headquarters in Korangi.

The SEPA is also approaching different utility agencies as well as cantonment boards to submit relocation plans of their respective property and distribution networks in a week whether these were likely to be affected due to the expressway project.