ISLAMABAD : Dozens of marble and steel factories, set up close to the residential area in sector I-9 have become the major threat to the environment. Air pollution is increasing day by day in twin cities of Islamabadand Rawalpindi as industrial zone was getting close to residential area. The residents frequently complain of diseases like chest congestion and asthma, which are directly linked to air pollution according to residents. Talking to APP, Daud Ali, a resident of sector I-9 said “we are living in worst environmental conditions, but the concerned authority was not taking steps to shift this industry. The marble factories caused air and noise pollution also, he added.
The residents demanded of CDA to take immediate action for shifting the industries far from the residential area. These factories throw their waste into the nearby natural streams. None of these factories follow any environmental or labour laws, says Aslam Tahir, a worker.
He said most of the workers developed chest diseases due to inhaling dust frequently and that the factory owners adopted no safety factory owner said that they need much money to shift their factories from the sector I-9, saying that the expenditures were unaffordable for them. He said industries were adopting precautionary measures to avoid air pollution.
When contacted, an official of CDA Environment Wing, he said the authority was pursuing industrialists, with a special focus on steel and marble factories, to use treatment plants to filter hazardous smoke emissions. The official agreed that the residents of the sectors close to the industrial area were suffering from air pollution, and as a result they were more prone to respiratory diseases.
He said the authority had devised a plan to check air pollution in the federal capital territory.