Reducing Hazardous Emissions: EPD Allocates Rs2b For EECSs Installation

News Desk

Lahore: As many as Rs 2 billion has been allocated to provide loans to industrial units for the installation of environmental emissions control systems (EECSs), said Environment Protection Department (EPD) Director Assessment Naseemur Rehman on Thursday.

Naseemur Rehman said that the Punjab government’s assistance and collaboration made this allocation possible, and the EPD will use every effort to lessen the negative environmental effects of industrial emissions.

The loans would be approved based on recommendations from the Punjab Small Industries Corporation, Rehman added.

Director Naseem said that the emissions control systems would be installed before the start of the next smoggy weather condition. He added that during the last smog period, the EPD squads sealed 586 smoke-emitting industrial units, and Rs 35 million in fines were imposed on them collectively.

Naseemur Rehman further stated that to avoid burning wheat residue, farmers are also being provided with a modern harvester, Hepper Seed, to discard crop residue and that the transfer of all brick kilns to zig-zag technology is also being ensured.

Environmentalist Mehmood Khalid Qamar said that greenhouse gases have covered the city and suburbs of Lahore as a result of industrial pollution.

“The heat from the sun is trapped by these hazardous gases. This situation is causing climate change and global warming at a rapid rate,” Qamar added.

Industrial waste and emissions were one of the main sources of air pollution. Waste fumes from various operations also endanger human health and the ecological system, the Lahore-based environmentalist further added.

Chemistry Professor Dr. Ijaz Bhatti stated that industrial fumes, consisting of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and volatile inorganic compounds (VICs), cause a bad smell in the area.

Dr. Bhatti added that this problem is experienced in various industrial sectors, especially petroleum refineries, bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals, latex processing, tanneries, waste treatment plants, fish processing facilities, poultry farms, etc.

As per the World health organization (WHO) report, the entire global population breathes air that exceeds the WHO air quality limits and threatens their health.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab government has recently directed the owners of the ethanol manufacturing units in the province to document their current status regarding the installation of wastewater treatment plants to dispose of liquid effluents in compliance with the Punjab Environment Quality Standards (PEQS).