HARIPUR, June 5: The indifferent attitude of entrepreneurs of the Hattar Industrial Estate has caused irreparable damage to the ecology of Haripur district. The government must take cognizance of this and ensure application of the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) there.

This was the crux of the speeches made on Tuesday at the offices of the Human Development Organisation (HDO) to mark the World Environment Day.

Representatives of the Rural Development Project and Sustainable Development Vision took part in the meeting and discussed at length environmental issues faced by the inhabitants of Haripur.

The speakers said that over 40 industrial units were discharging effluent measuring about 20,000 gallons per day in open water channels, while about 80 industrial units, including three cement factories, were wreaking havoc on the environment.

Over two dozen villages of Hattar, Dingi, Khanpur and Kotnajibullah union councils were exposed to the worst environmental pollution as industrialists were yet to develop mechanisms to check emissions and to treat the effluent, they observed.

They said that industrial pollution was not only a constant threat to life but it rendered the fertile land in these villages useless.

Assistant Programme Manager of the HDO Fauzia Aziz, referring to a study carried out by her organisation, said that because of unchecked emission of raw cement 30 to 35 per cent of the agriculture produce was affected badly.

More than 20 per cent of the people were suffering from skin allergy while kidney-, respiratory- and eye-related maladies were common in the surrounding areas of the industrial estate. She said effluent laced with chemicals was discharged without treatment in water channels, carrying the ratio of pollutants beyond the permissible limits of the NEQS.

She said that even though the Hattar-based mill-owners earned millions at the expense of Haripur’s environment, they were not bothered at all about the health-related problems of local people and did not allocate the mandatory share of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund for the welfare of Haripur residents.

Ibrar Shah of the Rural Development Project (RDP) criticised the forest department for its role in deforestation in the area. He accused the forest department officials of being hand in glove with people who were felling trees without any check and hindrance.