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  • Feb 4th, 2005
  • Comments Off on Effluents discharge posing threat to human lives
The discharge of effluents and toxic materials by industrial units, being set up amidst human population in the Sukkan river belt, Port Qasim Town, pose a serious threat to human lives, agricultural lands and green belts around the city. According to the City Council's environment committee report, the rapid and unplanned industrial set-ups within the agricultural lands are devastating environment and ecology of the area.

"This giant hazard is changing the whole scenario in such a haste that once lush green and fertile lands are no more there," said the report.

"An alarming aspect is the discharge of toxic materials of these factories and chemical industries through pipelines, running parallel to drinking water pipelines into Sukkan River, contaminating the water sources installed in villages and water obtained through the tubewells for irrigation purposes, resultantly human population being slow poisoned through seepage," it said.

Villagers in Bin Qasim Town are exposed to serious diseases like Hepatitis "B", "C", the report said, adding the whole bed of Sukkun River was being used for vegetable cultivation purposes, but this whole food chain was being toxic by the industrial units.

Elected representatives said that most serious issue was that those industrial concerns were being set up without any master plan, with no controlling body or without obtaining any environment clearance.

An elected representative of local bodies from the area said that no one knew who was issuing no objection certificates (NOCs) for setting up the industrial units, as when concerned town and the city government officials were approached, they expressed their ignorance.

They said that no one was against industrialisation, but stressed that industrial zones should be established with proper master plans, ensuring that no industrial units could be set up amongst the human population. It is learnt that another peace of land, measuring 18 acres, has been purchased by an industrial group near villages of Saeedabad, Umar Bagh, Peero Nawab and Saleh Mohmmad Goth, which would further deteriorate the ecology of the area.

The City Nazim and Town Nazim, Bin Qasim Town had been approached a number of times and the matter was brought to their knowledge, but no concrete action was taken. The matter has also been raised on various forums, however no government institution seems to be interested to look into the matter.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005


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