Pollution--a non issue for the government...No concrete steps taken to curb pollution

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: All kinds of pollution, especially air and water, were on rise throughout the year as policy makers remained busy making presentations and policy papers for higher authorities to tackle the grave concerns, instead of taking some concrete step in this regard.
The problem of urban congestion in the provincial metropolis affected air and water quality while insufficient waste management skills of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) added the already deteriorating atmospheric condition.
Due to the relatively higher population growth, the absence of public transport services and tremendous increase in the number of privately owned vehicles, high concentrations of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur penetrated in the air, seriously affecting the health of general public.
Short-term and limited campaigns against smoke emitting vehicles and two stroke motorcycle rickshaws failed to improve the air quality.
Another issue of air quality in the city was the excessive presence of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the ambient air. The major sources of the SPM in the city are vehicles, industry, burning of solid waste, brick kilns and natural dust. Unpaved roads and absence of green belts are the originators of Suspended Particulate Matter (PM). The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is responsible for maintaining the green belts but the authority failed to perform its duty except maintaining green belts in posh localities and important roads of the city.
The average SPM concentration in Lahore exceeded 3 times from the Japanese standards (200 ug/m3) and 6 times from WHO guidelines (120 ug/m3), reveals a recent Pak-EPA report prepared after the investigation of air and water quality of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
A slight decrease in the sale of private motor vehicles was witnessed during the year as majority of the banks and leasing companies tightened their rules and regulations. This, however, did not affect the city’s air quality because the number of vehicles plying on the city roads was already very high.
EPD officials said that, amongst all the vehicles, those running on diesel worsened the situation. It is pertinent to mention that, earlier, the government, sensing the alarming increase in pollution, especially air and water pollution in the province, introduced the vision of encouraging the use of clean fuels, green public transport and treatment of industrial effluents but no program in concrete form was implemented.
Scattered solid waste, non-implementation of Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005 and sale of hospital waste to the recycling industry in the city were the other problems facing the city’s environment.
The EPD, however, launched a massive operation against the city pathology laboratories but ended the crackdown after issuing mere warnings. Cases of some laboratories were also sent to the tribunal where they were awaiting “legal action” against the violators. No major crackdown on city hospitals, both government and private, was launched for the implementation of the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 by the EPD.
During the year, no practical move was launched to shift light and heavy industrial units established in various residential city localities i.e. Misri Shah, Baghbanpura, Moghalpura, Daroghewala, Bhagat Pura, Chah Miran, Shadbagh and others along the Bund Road and GT Road. These industries included Steel Foundries, Steel Re-rolling Mills, Brick Kilns, Steel Furnaces, Scrap Yards, Plastic Recycling Industry, Marble Grinding, Furniture making and several other kinds of cottage industries. All of these industries are adding to all kinds of pollution, especially air, noise, vibration and heat.
According to a rough estimate, over 700 industrial units, including a major chunk of steel related industries, are causing serious environmental hazards, especially noise and air pollution, in various localities of the northern Lahore. Majority of these industrial units are operating in residential localities posing serious threat to human life.
Besides the residential areas, a good number of industrial and commercial ventures are operating around historical monuments i.e. Shalimar Garden, Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque.
It is pertinent to mention that the CDGLís department of environment served notices to many of these ventures but in vain.
The point of concern is that majority of the industries, especially those related with steel, are using used tyres and sub standard rubber products to keep their machines alive and releases pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides and toxic metals, considered a major source of air pollution in the provincial capital. Small drives were launched against such violators and serious action is still awaited.
During last many years, Marble Grinding and furniture-manufacturing industries have been established in residential areas of Ichra, Ferozpur Road and various other residential localities of Bund Road and Ravi Road. Like this College Road Township has also turned into a mini industrial zone with the establishment of Marble Grinding industry. During the year 2009, no drive was launched against this increasing industrial sector in residential localities.
A good number of industrial units of manufacturing spurious motor oil were established in Badami Bagh while the Rim Market along the historical Lahore Fort is still a serious threat to the biggest archaeological site of the city.
Likewise, the Kot Lakhpat Industrial Area is also surrounded by residential colonies and residents of these localities are daily facing the air and other kinds of pollution of the industries. Another serious threat facing the nearby residents is the discharge of polluted water by the industries in local drains.
Brandreth Road has become the hub of mechanical spare parts while the inner localities like Rehman Gallian, Landa Bazaar, Prem Gallian, Adda Crown have changed into the manufacturing areas of these spare parts. People have installed high temperature furnaces, steel rubbing and polishing and other related cottage industries in their homes. No serious drive was launched to curb the trend.
Gulshan-e-Ravi, a purely residential locality, is also rapidly changing into a cottage industry zone. A large number of machinery-manufacturing units were established in various blocks of this locality, especially those close to the Bund Road. Motor workshops and heavy body vehicle manufacturing is another rapidly increasing industry in this locality. These industries are still working and no legal action has been taken for shifting them outside the city.
As per Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 all industrial units are supposed to obtain NOC from EPD but over 70 per cent units, including industrial units operating in the city, did not bother to fulfil this legal formality. The lack of enforcement of rules to discourage to polluters has made the EPD a toothless tiger.
Published in Daily The News on Saturday, December 26, 2009.