ISLAMABAD: In a crackdown against steel mills in I-9 and I-10 for polluting the air, the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) on Wednesday ordered the shutdown of two steel mills and will also take action against the remaining units for breaking environment laws.

Pak-EPA issued environment protection order (EPO) under the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997 to Siddiqui Steel Mill and Zia Steel Mill.

In the EPO, Pak-EPA has maintained that both steel mills are responsible for causing significant pollution.

Smoke from their chimneys was 40pc in excess of permissible limits, action to be taken against other units

During the monitoring of these units on April 2, 2018, the smoke from their chimneys was 40pc in excess of the permissible limit of the National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS).

Pak-EPA has maintained that both steel mills were served with summon notices in the past, extending them the opportunity for personal hearing that were never availed by the owners of the mills.

“You did not even bother to appear for personal hearing in order to satisfy the concerned authorities about the violations. You are directed to immediately stop operations of your units till compliance of National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS),” Pak-EPA said in the EPO issued to both units.

The environment watchdog warned that failure to comply with these orders will be considered an offence punishable under the law.

Talking to Dawn, Secretary Climate Change Khizar Hayat Khan said more raids will be conducted against steel mills and steel furnaces that are polluting the air.

According to environmentalists in the climate change ministry, Islamabad owes its high air pollution particularly to steel mills, a dominant source of air pollution, other than factors such as mega development projects.

The officials in the ministry said that the black smoke residents see rising from the chimneys is black carbon that contains particulate matter 10 (PM10) and PM2.5.

Inhaling particulate pollution, mixtures of solid and liquid particles that circulate in the air can increase risks of lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and emergency room visits for people with asthma and heart problems among a host of other health problems, they said.

Officials say that the black smoke is caused by the poor quality of scrap used by steel mills and steel furnaces. The scrap include oil and paint canisters, one of the actual sources of black smoke.

Despite repeated reminders from Pak-EPA, steel mills and steel furnaces continue to operate without switching on their filtering equipments, an official in the ministry said.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2018