Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) sealed a textile factory, namely Liberty Mills Limited on Friday for violation of the section 21 of Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014 and Sindh Environmental Quality Standard (SEQS).

According to SEPA officials, the textile mill, located in Sindh Industrial Trading Estate Ltd (SITE), Karachi was using coal fired power plant to produce power ; coal articles and the smoke which was emitting from the plant had made the life of the local people miserable.

“The owners of two factories adjacent to the textile mills had complained SEPA that due to the burning of coal, the particles and smoke was disturbing the labourers at their factories, so a team of SEPA went in to inspect the factory and finally it was sealed,” said deputy director, SEPA, Waris Gabol.

He said during the visit the factory administration didn’t allow the team to enter into the factory and inspect the controversial power plant, but the team without entering into the factory, noticed from outside that the power plant was producing harmful smoke and was also emitting coal particles.

“We had send so many letters to the textile mill asking them to explain that why they didn’t acquire the license for the controversial power plant and also gave them opportunity for personal hearing, but they didn’t respond, so finally we have sealed the factory with the help of the local police,” said Gabol.

Recently, SEPA has started taking action against the factories and hospitals involved in the violations of the environmental laws.

The section 21 of Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014 states that where SEPA seems satisfied that the discharge or emission of any effluent, waste, air pollutant or noise, or the disposal of waste, or the handling of hazardous substances, or any other act or omission is likely to occur, or is occurring, or has occurred, in violation of any provision of this Act, the rules or regulations or of the conditions of a license, or is likely to cause, or is causing or has caused an adverse environmental effect, the Agency may, after giving the person responsible for such discharge, emission, disposal, handling, act or omission an opportunity of being heard, by order direct such person to take such measures as the Agency may consider necessary within such period as may be specified in the order.