ISLAMABAD, April 14: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered relocation of the factories and industrial units causing environmental pollution and health hazards outside the residential areas by December 31.

The orders were issued by a three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Ijazul Hassan and Justice Mian Hamid Farooq, who took up the appeal of Muhammad Shafiq against the Lahore High Court order to relocate the pollution emitting industries.

The petitioner is owner of one of the recycling plants amongst a cluster of units situated at the Hudiyara Drainage area adjacent to the Barki Defence Road Lahore producing oil from animal and poultry waste, causing putrid odour and health hazards.

The apex court also directed the public utilities providers like Sui Northern Gas and Wapda to provide gas and electricity connections to the factories to be relocated so that they could start functions in the new vicinity.

On the last hearing, the apex court had sought comments from the environment ministry and the four provincial environment secretaries, secretary Fata and Northern Areas on a report suggesting that rapid environmental degradation was costing the country $1.8 billion annually in terms of reduced labour productivity and rising health expenditures.

The residents living in the areas with industrial units had complained about the unchecked burning of the animal and poultry waste by these recycling plants to produce oil for commercial use.

The appeal was submitted against the LHC order of relocating the unit. A similar case is pending before the Lahore Environmental Protection Tribunal on the complaint of a non- governmental organisation, the Pathfinder.

Meanwhile in a report on environmental degradation, senior lawyer Senator Babar Awan, appointed amicus curaie (friend of the court) by the court by citing a 1997 World Bank study said that the population growth and poor water infrastructure had reduced per capital water availability from 53,000 cubic meters to 1,200 cubic meters, while the heavy reliance on firewood had contributed to world’s second highest rate of deforestation.

According to the WHO, the groundwater in Lahore has been contaminated upto 700-feet deep and therefore rendered dangerous for human consumption.

Extreme pollution of the Ravi river has extinguished 42 species of fish, while the bird life around the river has migrated to other areas, the report said.

Poor agricultural practices have also led to soil erosion, ground water degradation that has hindered crop output in the rural areas whereas solid waste burning, low quality fuels and the growing use of fuel-inefficient motor vehicles have contributed to air pollution in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, and Faisalabad, Mr Awan said, quoting the report on environmental degradation.

In 1983, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Ordinance (Pepo) was passed under which the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC) and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency were established to introduce the concept of environmental impact assessments. However, it is unfortunate that the Pepo has remained largely unimplemented, the lawyer said.