KARACHI, July 19: Growing industrial activities in the Port Qasim industrial area, particularly on inter-tidal land, came under severe criticism on Saturday as participants at a public hearing held that this amounted to the destruction of habitat, which would have far-reaching ecological consequences.
At an environmental impact assessment organised by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) to discuss the environmental and socio-economic challenges posed by the proposed installation of a refinery in the area, citizens accused Sepa of failing to influence the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) to comply by the country’s environmental laws and show concern for the health of the eco-system.
The equipment for the refinery has already been purchased second-hand from Italy, though it is intended that it will be refurbished and upgraded further so that the facility has a throughput of 100,000 barrels per stream day.The PQA, which has allowed the establishment and operation of industries such as chemical plants, refineries and power plants, was asked to immediately assess the adverse impact of land reclamation for industrial development, the discharge of industrial effluents into the sea, the contamination of coastal soil and the impact of pollution on the estuaries and estuarine habitat, the mangrove forests, migratory birds and other wildlife.
The participants urged the PQA to set up combined effluent treatment plants as well as induce the industries to abide by environmental laws, meet environment quality standards and attempt to divert fresh water into the sea in their vicinity.
No representative of the PQA was present to respond to the apprehensions voiced at the public hearing.
‘No feedback from PQA’
The 11,000-acre Port Qasim estate is located on the northwest edge of the Indus delta system, which is characterised by narrow creeks, mangrove forests and mudflats. The industrial facilities set up in the area include steel mills, chemical and fertiliser plants, and a power plant.
Saturday’s public hearing was chaired by Sepa director Naeem A. Mughal, who maintained that his agency was already aware of the concerns voiced by conservationists, scientists and concerned citizens. “We have tried repeatedly to take the PQA on board in terms of finding out the cumulative adverse impact of ongoing and prospective industrial projects in the PQA industrial zone,” he said. “So far, however, we have not received any feedback on these issues from the PQA.”
Senior management members of the proposed refinery assured participants that they understood the gravity of the environmental challenges being faced by the country. They stated that field activities as well as mitigation measures would be implemented in line with Pakistan’s laws, as well as the relevant national and international guidelines.
Proponents of the project were asked to provide details about the plant’s power requirements and supplier, the source, mode of transportation and components of the raw materials, and the working technology and transport mechanisms envisaged by the plant. Questions were posed with regards to standards of waste treatment, the disposal of waste material, the use of reclaimed land as well as supply sources and consumption of water during the construction and operational phases of the refinery.
Some participants questioned the reliability of the baseline data pertaining to ambient air quality and the area’s biodiversity, including the mangroves and wildlife. They voiced apprehensions about the quality of a second-hand refinery being shifted to Karachi, recalling that it had originally been shutdown in the 1990s because of economic and environmental concerns.
The proponents of the project maintained that there would be no damage to the mangrove forest that stood at the seaward end of the site, an extensive sloping inter-tidal area. Nevertheless, experts suggested that the refinery ensure a rehabilitation and compensation formula in case any damage did occur, and asked the project’s proponents to come up with a defined mechanism and extraction of land or other waste for reclamation purposes.
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