The inefficiency of Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given free hand to hundreds of industrial units in Faisalabad district to dispose their untreated wastewater into the sewer system.
Owing to the situation, water bodies in the district are being polluted at large scale which posing direct threat to all kinds of living beings.
Despite, having the sensitivity over this deteriorating situation of the district, the EPA remained reluctant to take any concrete step toward the protection of environment as well as residents of the district from several diseases with which they have been exposing rapidly. Currently, over three thousands small, medium and large industrial units have been operating among them textile is major industry in the district. According to sources in EPA there are around 50 weaving, 300 dying while around 400 finishing and processing units are unabatedly disposing their untreated wastewater.
According to information available with Daily Times, only in Khurrianwala industrial zone Faisalabad has over 170 industrial units including major textiles units of the region. Interestingly, out of these industrial units only 20 have their own treatment plants while rests have been busy in disposing untreated water.
Sources in EPA informed that besides these 20 industrial units with active wastewater treatment plants, not a single industrial unit was disposing its wastewater after treatment. However, they said that a few other industries have installed treatment plants but most of them are either dysfunctional or unable to treat water. “All the major industrial units are supposed to dispose 2 to 3 cusec of wastewater into the specific drains nearby them. They are allowed to dispose wastewater but it must be properly treated.”
The untreated wastewater by such industrial units dispose into the various drains flowing through the district which further contaminate River Ravi and River Chenab. Among them two drains; Paharang Drain and Madhuana receive major amount of untreated wastewater of industries in region. Pahrang Drain’s water with toxic pollutants and heavy metals mixes into River Chenab near district Chiniot while Madhuana Drain carrying hazardous effluents mixes in River Ravi near Mamu Kanjan area.
Sources while referring to a study report informed that half of the population of Mamu Kanjan had been exposed to hepatitis and other water borne diseases due this contaminated water. Senior environmentalist Aleem Butt said that human activities like improper disposal of municipal and industrial effluents were ruthlessly deteriorating the ecosystem in such industrial cities like Faisalabad. Talking to Daily Times he said that EPA was the major responsible to control all kinds of pollution by taking action against violators but its official are not performing their duty due to reasons best known to them. “Different studies have highlighted the issue of Faisalabad region where people were exposing to various waterborne diseases due to contaminated water owing to the untreated industrial wastewater,” Butt said adding that this situation not causing health issues for human being but also for other living being. An EPA official while seeking anonymity told Daily Times that agency staff performs its duties despite lack of resources but the political influence marred its efficiency. “Many of the industries are owned by political persons or the owners have close links with them who use their influence whenever any action is taken against them.”