PESHAWAR, Jan 29: The Environmental Management Unit (EMU) of the NWFP irrigation department has launched a drive to stop the disposal of commercial and domestic pollutants into irrigation canals passing through the provincial capital, officials said.

In the first phase, notices are being issued to car washing stations, auto workshops, carpet weavers and people living along the Kabul River to stop the discharge of waste into irrigation channels.

The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting recently held in Peshawar, which was attended by the head of the NWFP environmental tribunal, director-general of the Environmental Protection Agency and officials of the irrigation department.

Officials said that after abolition of the magistracy system, the irrigation department had no legal powers to check discharge of waste and hazardous effluent from houses, workshops and commercial centres into irrigation channels flowing through urban localities.

Under the Environmental Protection Act, 1997, EPAs had been delegated powers to monitor contamination of water resources and take legal action against violators.

The EPA had asked the EMU to launch the drive though there was no such provision in the Act, officials said.

Four major canals – Kabul River, Hazarkhwani, Warsak Gravity and Jui Shaikh which irrigate hundreds of acres of land in the district – pass through various municipalities.

With the passage of time, these irrigation channels have been turned into carriers of hazardous substances because people living along river banks have linked their toilets to the channels.

Officials said that during the campaign, people and owners of commercial outlets would be asked to stop discharge of sewage and waste into Kabul River, which irrigated lands in the district and its water was also used for washing purpose at the tail-end.They said the campaign would be extended to other areas of the district to block contamination of irrigation channels in the province. Apart from water contamination, it also caused crop contamination and, consequently, affected people’ health, they said.