ISLAMABAD:The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has launched a stringent crackdown against the illegal units, established without formal approval of the authorities concerned in sector H-13 of the federal capital, burning plastic waste that was causing dark smoke and risk of smog.
Director General Pak-EPA, Farzana Altaf Shah told reporter via telephonic conversation that there were videos that went viral of H-13 Naseerabad area where people had illegally rented and established mega units burning scrap material particularly plastics for recycling purposes that were creating dark smoke screens into the atmosphere that were highly injurious to health and environment.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICT Admin) on the request of EPA had imposed section 144 in the capital to ban all sorts of burning of waste, stubble and any other material to curb smog risk, she added.
The EPA DG added that the Minister and Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordinatio
n took serious notice of the matter. However, the EPA team, along with the ICT Admin and the area magistrate raided the illegal units burning plastic waste and trash.
“As many as four individuals were arrested and five units were sealed in the area for burning plastic waste illegally. People are illegally setting up mega units in the sector, where burning of scrap material is being carried out in large cauldrons to melt plastic items for making pet plastic and substandard products of household use,” she said.
She added that there were even substandard plastic plates being produced of these items. “Scavengers are involved in collecting such plastic items that are turned into plastic,” she added.
The air quality index, she said so far was not alarming in the federal capital and did not warrant EPA to issue an alert in this regard. “The general public is requested to report any such activity in their locality to EPA for prompt action as it is seriously hazardous for the environment and public well-being,” she
added.
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