KARACHI: Violating its own rules and regulations, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) presented another ‘flawed’ Environmental Impact Assessment report for public perusal on Tuesday at a local hotel.

The document lacked no-objection certificates (NOCs) from utility services as well as information as to how an amenity plot could be used for a ground-plus-20-floor private healthcare project.

The project is proposed at Plot No. ST 18-D at Nipa, University Road, within the jurisdiction of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 6.

It’s the same site which was earlier being used for Nadeem Medical Centre.

The proponent of the project titled Rome is M/s Avicenna Healthcare 1 Pak (Pvt) Ltd whereas the project’s EIA report is prepared by Environmental Management Consultants (EMC) Pakistan Pvt Ltd.

The 370-bedded hospital project is planned over 1.44 acres.

‘Commercial activity’

It is important to mention here that Section 9 and Section 17(3) of Sepa Regulations 2014 require that every EIA report shall be accompanied by no-objection certificates from relevant departments and “every review of an EIA shall be carried out with public participation and subject to the provisions of this act, after full disclosure of the particulars of the project”.

However, Sepa itself has been violating these rules since long and, therefore, defeating the very purpose of holding public hearings.

Similar to what happened last week during the hearing of Lacasa One project, the environmental watchdog couldn’t give satisfactory explanation when asked about the plot status and its proposed use.

“This ST-18 plot was a big amenity plot which at some stage was subdivided into A, B, C and D (categories). There is no document with the EIA report to clarify what ST-18-D is designated for,” said Dr Syed Raza Gardezi of Citizens for Environment, questioning whether the proposed hospital was charitable or commercial.

Referring to Sindh Building Control Authority rules, he argued that the status and nature of an amenity plot couldn’t be changed, nor could it be used for any commercial activity as the case appeared from the project’s features and the matter should have been investigated by Sepa prior to the EIA report’s presentation at the public hearing.

“The project proponent has claimed (in the EIA report) that the project aims to provide a private hospital of choice for low and middle classes in Karachi but do they have any idea about the buying capacity of low-income groups who rely on government health facilities where they could get a bed for Rs2?” Dr Gardezi asked.

Sharing similar concerns, other stakeholders suggested that while the project proponent had all rights to make profit from its investment, it must avoid giving “false information” and state only facts.

Replying to this concern, the project proponent represented by a team of consultants and partners, including Sohail Siddiqui, Khawaja Khalil, Saquib Ejaz Hussain and Andrew Currie and Arnot Wagner of Evercare Group, told the audience that the project aimed at “making quality healthcare affordable and would be 20 to 30pc cheaper (as compared to high-cost health facilities in city)”.

Responding to concerns that the location in the middle of the city with “high noise levels was not suitable for a hospital project”, it was argued that the location was the “best site for the project” and noise pollution would be addressed by use of noise barriers.

There was also a debate over the parking space provided in the proposed project planned at the same route where a major bus rapid transit project was coming up.

Replying to a question relating to solid waste disposal, the project proponent admitted that specific details about the incinerator were missing in the EIA report mainly because initially it was planned that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s facility would be used for this purpose but later, it was decided that “the project would have its own incinerator”.

Earlier, a detailed presentation was given on the project according to which it would include diagnostic and clinical services, an emergency department, 13 operating theatres, an oncology centre and 84 outpatient departments as well as a nursing hostel.

The EIA report also lacked specific details about waste-water generation and an NOC from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2019