KARACHI, Jan 26: The participants of a public hearing on the environmental impact assessment of Miano gas field development in northern Sindh here on Saturday stressed the need for preparing a package deal for the welfare of people in the project area.

The public hearing was organized by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). The speakers observed that harmony in visions for development of wildlife, oil and gas industries in the country had always been missing. “Companies who are already engaged in or are to enter oil and gas exploratory activities should adopt measures to develop long-term beneficial relations with the local population, including tenants.”

Over the next three years, OMV-Pakistan plans to undertake field development works, including two- and three-dimensional seismic surveys for identifying suitable production sites and wells to increase gas production from the Miano field and build in-field flow lines to connect the new wells with Kadanwari gas plant.

At present, the Miano gas field is producing about 100 MMscfd from three wells, and the new development programme is aimed to increase the production up to 200 MMscfd over the next few years. The project area, covering 663.2 square-km in the Nara desert falls in Ghotki and Sukkur districts, is classified as subtropical double-season hot land, where pockets of freshwater do exist while ground water is generally saline, said the EIA report prepared by Hagler Bailly Pakistan.

The presentations, project description by the proponent and deliberations made by experts, representatives of government institutions and NGOs indicated that the impacts of the project on natural and socio-economic environment as well as livelihood and lifestyle of people would be of great magnitude — all negative in nature. The issues included employment of local people, payment of compensation for agricultural land, grazing land and damage to crops.

In addition to air, land and water pollution as well as depletion of water resources and soil erosion due to ground water mining, there are potential threats to biological environment, like loss of vegetation cover, disturbances to and loss of wildlife and habitats.

The experts proposed establishment of technical educational institutions to train the locals so that they could be employed in the project instead of hiring people from other areas.

It was noted that the compensations were not matching with the losses likely to be caused to the local stakeholders. The people were likely to see degradation of water, land and other resources. Since the exploring and production activities were to continue for 20 to 25 years, it would be appropriate that the locals who are likely to be affected should be rehabilitated in some model villages with all their cultural and religious traditions.

It was pointed out that archaeological sites and old graveyards should be preserved and restored in order to attract tourists. The compensation envisaged by the oil and gas companies were not enough for a longer economic survival of the populace, they maintained.

The proponents of the project were also blamed for not taking into confidence the wildlife department before undertaking surveys and visits to the area. One of the speakers said that a rehabilitation plan for the degrading wildlife should also be put on card.

For proper waste management, it was suggested that a well-defined landfill site should be set up at one place outside the project area instead of scattering or dumping them here and there. Instead of purchasing canal water on market price for project consumption, the proponent should go for drawing water from underground reserves, they added.