KARACHI, Oct 27: The provincial Environmental Protection Tribunal (EPT) on Saturday asked the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) to explain why it failed to attend the hearing of a pollution case against a tannery.

According to a tribunal official, plaintiff Sepa and the respondent, a tannery in Korangi, were due to state their positions in a case about violations of national environmental quality standards (NEQS) before the EPT on Saturday. There was no representative from Sepa and the tribunal has taken a serious notice of the non-appearance, it was said.

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain presided over the tribunal while Dr Samiuzzaman Khan joined him as a member (technical). Sepa had submitted cases against a few tanneries alleging that they were not discharging their effluents properly and causing environmental pollution in the area.

On Saturday, officials of the tannery appeared before the tribunal and submitted that it had now been connected to a combined effluent treatment plant set up by the Pakistan Tanners Association and it was not causing any harm to the public sewerage or the environment quality.

In support of their claims, they also presented a subscription receipt issued by the plant and a letter by the tanners’ association, the official said, adding that further proceedings in the case would now be held on Nov 3.