RAWALPINDI, Nov 5: The Punjab Environment Protection Agency (Punjab-EPA) on Friday issued notices to the owners of 58 stone crushing machines installed on Margallah Hills in the precincts of Rawalpindi district for causing environment pollution. Dawn

Sources told that the notices would be delivered to the owners of the stone crushers on Saturday and Sunday.

They said Punjab-EPA had formed two special teams to deliver the notices by hand to the owners.

The provincial environment watchdog has already issued notices to 65 owners of stone crushing machines installed on the Margallah Hills.

It would, however, give the owners time to control air and noise pollution.Total 123 stone crushing machines have been installed on Margallah Hills in the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi district. The sources said Punjab-EPA had asked the stone crushers to install pollution control equipment on their premises within a week otherwise their units would be sealed.

The department conducted a survey of the area and found that the indiscriminate commercial activity was polluting the environment. After the survey, the Punjab-EPA team reported that the stone crushers had not installed pollution control devices.

The sources said water sprinklers were not installed by the stone crushers, leading to unhealthy increase in the level of suspended particulate matter (SPM). None of the stone crushers had planted trees around their respective premises against the norms issued by the provincial government. They also failed to install wind-breaking walls (steel sheets or concrete structures).

The national environmental quality standard for grinding/crushing is 500 mg/Nm3 miligram/cubic metre whereas emissions at the stone crushing sites were approximately 2500 mg/Nm3 miligram/cubic metre.

When contacted, District Officer Environment Shaukat Hayat confirmed that notices were issued to 58 owners of stone crushing machines.

He said all these machines were conducting their operation without getting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from Punjab-EPA. He said that under section 12 of Environment Protection Act, it was necessary for getting EIA.

He said they had been given a week to install pollution control equipment otherwise they would be issued environment protection order.